Without a Headband, The Civilian Sacrifice
by Setsuna Eien
Summary: "I will prove them wrong. I WILL succeed. They'll regret the day they denied my dream. My path may be distorted, but I will live on. My success will be my revenge. They want to deny me? I will FLOURISH. This is my promise." Denied his future, Naruto seeks his path outside of the Shinobi world. What brought him down, shall lead to a brighter future. This is his tale. His oath.
1. Dreams Denied

I do not own Naruto.

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Naruto hummed as he walked up the flight of steps that would lead him to the old man's office. He was in a good mood, and why wouldn't he be? He had just achieved what was his lifelong dream, and the first step to his ambition, becoming Hokage. He opened the door, and shouted in, "Hey Jiji! Whaddya wanna see me for?" The Hokage looked up from his desk, with the hint of a smile on his face. However, it was overshadowed by the guilt in his eyes. Standing at various other points in the office were high ranking members of the civilian and elder councils: the bane of his existence. They opposed him at every turn, along with any attempts the Hokage made to help him or prevent others from hurting him. They hated him with a passion he did not understand, for he didn't remember doing anything to them, including pranking.

"Ah, hello Naruto. How are-" He could not finish his sentence as a member of the elder council interrupted him. "Just tell the demon what we agreed on, Hiruzen." He snapped at the Hokage, while glaring at Naruto. "I don't want to spend any more time around _it_ than I have to."

Naruto looked at the Hokage, questioning, "W-what are they talking about, Jiji?" He asked, beginning to worry about whatever this news could be. Was Ichiraku closing? Was he banned from wearing orange? He couldn't think of anything worse than that!

The Hokage took a deep breath, followed by a long sigh. "I'm sorry Naruto, but due to the situation, we must revoke Iruka Umino's field promotion to Genin."

Naruto stumbled backwards, leaning on the door. "What? W-why? What did I do, I swear I'll make it up!"

The council member began speaking again. "Umino never had the authority to issue a promotion. He is only a chunin, and a teacher at the academy. Only those rank jounin and above have the ability to issue field promotions." He stared at Naruto, triumph in his eyes.

"N-no! Please! I'll do anything! Just please don't take away my dream!" He backed up again, shaking his head as the information sunk in.

"Technically, you had already failed a third time, and therefore were expelled from the academy program." He stated smugly, with a sense of finality.

Another council member stepped forward and ripped the headband from around his head, stepping back to his previous location.

Blindly stumbling out of the Hokage's office, Naruto slowly made his way home. Lying on the bed, he stared emptily at the ceiling. _Gone. His dream was gone. He would never be Hokage. Never. _Sobbing into his pillow, he eventually fell into an uneasy sleep.

When he woke up the next morning, he was initially elated. He would be a ninja! He reached over to his nightstand, groping for his forehead protector. The events of the previous night came rushing back to him when nothing met his touch. He was not a ninja. He never would be. Yet, he was filled with an unexpected vigor. The desire to prove them wrong. Everyone. He would succeed in life. Maybe not as a ninja, but he would find his way. First though, he needed to find something he could dedicate himself to.

He found himself walking to the library; If anywhere did, they would have a list of possible careers. As he walked to the library, he was met with the hateful and, on some occasions smug, glares. He guessed they were the family of the council members, so they would know of his failure. When he reached the library, he looked at the front desk, only to see a sleeping civilian. Sneaking past the oblivious librarian, he headed to the shelves, looking for his prize.

After around half an hour, he found it. A short book on various careers. Sneaking out of the library, he felt a little bad. He didn't have any intentions of returning the book. Then he remembered all that the village had done to him. The book was a small thing in comparison to their treatment.

Now that he had the book, he had to find a way to change his appearance. No one would take him seriously or help him if he looked the way he did, recognizable as the _demon. _He headed to a store, using a henge for now. He found the nearest store that looked like it would be promising as a place to find hair dye and such. Before heading in, he henged himself again, this time into a slightly older and female version of himself, but without whisker marks and with brown eyes and hair. He bought something called concealer from the makeup section that looked as if it might help disguise his whisker marks. After that, he headed to the hair product aisle. He looked through the colors available for hair dye, finally settling on a light and ashy pinkish-purple color, both for the fact that it reminded him of Sakura and that the bottle advertised the fact that it permanently changed hair color, down to the roots, which meant that it would never be necessary to apply again. Satisfied with his purchases, he left the store, after paying this time.

After that, he dispelled his henge and returned to the library as an afterthought, finding a simple jutsu to change eye color permanently. The only reason that it was not frequently used for missions was that it was indeed permanent and could only be used once. The color would be able to be switched around for a day, but after that it was set and could not be used again. Apparently it had been popular with ninja and nobles running away from violence or political issues. He also found a technique that allowed him to change his hair length. He settled on it being a little longer, around shoulder length, and slightly neater than it was due to the increased weight.

The final change was his clothes. No longer did he wear the orange jumpsuit, which he later realized probably did not help him with first impressions. He settled on a dark, almost black, violet colored shirt that would compliment the purple of his hair. Long baggy pants with a small skirt like attachment (Think Neji in Shippuden, but the shirt is like the upper half of a kimono and the colors are different) in black, while the skirt portion was the same shade of violet as the shirt. The shoes were standard black ninja sandals. As an afterthought, he decided to get his ear pierced. It hurt, but was just another way to separate him from Naruto Uzumaki. He was no longer the dead last he once was. He would keep his name, but he'd have to come up with a suitable nickname to hide his identity. After pondering for a while, the name that he came up with was Murasakiiro Saisei. Translated, it meant Violet Rebirth. Heading home, he felt proud of what he had accomplished that day.

After arriving at his apartment, he realized how much of a dump it was. The water barely worked, and the walls were moldy and unstable. No one else had lived in the building for years, due to his presence as "the demon". He paid twice as much as anyone else would have for an apartment 5 times its size, and in perfect condition. He would be moving out as soon as possible. Once more collapsing on the bed, he quickly fell asleep, satisfied with his work.

The next day, his task was to find a better place to live. But first, he used the hair dye. It was very messy to do, and he nearly ran out of water. But the end result was worth it. Looking in his cracked mirror, his hair was now neck length and light purple-gray. In some places, a hint of yellow could be seen. But that was so minor it could not be seen unless someone was looking very, _very_, closely. With a deep breath, he activated the technique to change eye color. It took him around 10 minutes to settle on a color. His eyes were now a dark reddish violet, with tiny flecks of blue. They were there to remind him, every time he looked at himself, that he was still himself deep down, and that not all of Naruto was gone. The sensation of having his hair brush against his shoulders was still new to him, and kept surprising him every time he turned his head. Applying the concealer as directed, he was even more satisfied than he expected. His whisker marks were completely invisible. Putting on his new clothes, he looked like a completely different person. It was then his actions fully sunk in. he was sad that he could not have stayed as himself without being treated unfairly, but at the same time, it was so _refreshing_ to not have to worry about being attacked on the streets, or being refused service by even convenience stores. Taking a moment to compose himself, he stepped out the door of his apartment into the morning village. This was the start of a new life.

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Hey! This is my first story that isn't a oneshot. It could be read as one, but it's intended as a longer story. Feel free to ask questions.

The image for the cover is an example of Naruto/Shinsei I designed using the avatar creator mentioned in my profile. I hope you enjoy this. And just warning, the updates will probably be a little erratic, but I sincerely doubt I will abandon this. On the small chance I do, I will post a message stating so and mark it as discontinued in the description. This will also most likely be a short chapter, as it was just a test to see opinions before I fully dedicated myself to this.

Please review, it means more than you think, and Enjoy!

Setsuna Eien


	2. The House

I do not own Naruto

Note: during interaction with people who do not know his identity, Naruto will be referred to as Saisei.

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As he walked down the road leading to the middle class suburbs, which was a prime location to search for a new home, he both revelled in and despised the fact that people were not looking at him with the glares he had lived his whole life enduring. Without his characteristic traits, he was just another pedestrian. A little more vibrantly colored than the other people he could see, but not the worst. He swore he glimpsed a man wearing bright green spandex earlier. He hoped that was not true. And he had thought his orange jumpsuit was vibrant! It was… strange to not have the people around him avoid him and ignore him. He swore he had seen a group of young teen girls standing outside a store eyeing him with contemplative looks that eerily reminded him of Sasuke's fangirls. The thought made him shiver. Spotting a promising building, he headed over to it. It's name was _Haru's apartments_, and though not particularly fancy, it still had an air of homeliness and wealth. Upon entering, he saw a door off to the side of a bored looking secretary behind a desk. It read "customer service", and the lights inside were on. He headed over to it, and upon looking inside, saw a man going through a stack of paperwork while humming. He looked up when the door opened and motioned for Naruto to come in.

"So, what may I help you with today?" He inquired as Saisei/Naruto took a seat.

"I was wondering if you had any properties currently for sale." Saisei said as he settled down.

"Indeed we do, several in fact. Looking for one?" He said, leaning forward.

"Yes, the building I was in until recently was condemned and I have to find a new place to stay before it's demolished." Saisei replied.

"We have a few different options then. Five similar low cost apartments are open, 3 rooms each and located near each other. There is also another larger flat, that has 5 rooms and is in a better location. The last option is a small one bedroom house located outside the Uchiha district, so no one wants it. It's nice enough, good condition and a decent size. The last residents moves out after the Uchiha Massacre. The last Uchiha isn't very friendly though, so no one else has offered for it. Probably going to be condemned if someone doesn't buy it soon." He said, ticking off each option on his fingers.

Saisei thought for a moment, and then asked, "How much is the house?"

Looking surprised, Haru replied, "500,000 yen, just because no one wants it and it's not going to be there much longer. Right now I'd say that if you were interested, your best option would be to pay around 50,000 immediately and 30,000 every month after that. It could be negotiated that you work off some of the price in other ways, like if you were to work or help around here, I could subtract some of the cost from your salary. That would also give you something to live off of while you looked for a job, if you don't already have one?" He looked at Saisei inquiringly.

Saisei thought about it for a moment, before deciding, "Yeah, I'll take it."

Haru nodded, and after pulling out the papers, asked, "By the way, what's your name?"

"Saisei. Murasakiiro Saisei."

"Nice doing business with you, Saisei."

"You as well." And with that, Haru called for someone to show Saisei where the house was and give him the keys. Saisei left 50,000 yen and a lot of worries lighter.

The house was light blue, with darker teal colored doors and a dark gray roof. The inside was a decent size, with creamy white walls and dark brown wooden floors. The lower floor was all one room, except for the bathroom in the corner, with a large set of stairs in the corner. Upon entering, the kitchen was in the back left. There was a place for shoes immediately to the right of the door, with a living room off to the side. There were lots of windows, large and open, which added to the empty feeling of the house. The second floor had a bedroom, a bathroom, and a smaller room which could be used for storage, or made into another bedroom if necessary. A small closet was off the bedroom, and another room for laundry was located opposite the bedroom. The smaller room was opposite a room with a desk in it, which was presumably a study. But the real treasure was opposite the bathroom. It was located in the back right corner of the house, and the outer walls were one big window. It was painted sky blue, with delicate white cloudlike designs on the walls. It presented a wonderful view of the small garden in the back, which was in complete disarray, but you could tell it was once beautiful. Naruto rushed back down, and found the door heading out back. This led to his discovery that it actually was on the border of a small forest, which was right up against the edge of the village and the Uchiha district. He laughed, and spent a good 10 minutes dancing around the garden. He had had a few plants during his time at his old apartment, but they would always "die" or "disappear" due to the villagers finding out about them.

But now… now he could do whatever he wanted! He could have a whole _farm_ behind his house if he wanted to! He could-

His thoughts were cut off by the sound of someone pounding on his door. He had a suspicion about the identity of the person, but he would have to see. Surely enough, when he opened the door, Sasuke was standing there, glaring at him. "Who are you? Why did you move in here? What do you want? If you're wondering, I'm not going to give you _special treatment_ or automatically befriend you, just because you moved in here." he took a breath when he was done, and resumed staring at Saisei. Saisei mentally restrained himself from acting like Naruto, because that would easily give him away. "Greetings Uchiha-san, what business do you have with me? My name is Murasakiiro Saisei, I moved here because my previous residence was condemned, I wanted a new house, and I did not assume you would be friends with me simply because I moved here. I want nothing from you, though I would appreciate it if you were not so hostile." Sasuke sniffed, but relaxed a little, though he was not fully relaxed. Saisei would be surprised if he was. "Are you the only one here?" He asked.

"Yes, my parents died in the kyuubi attack, and I have just been fully emancipated. This area seems quiet, I am guessing not many people are around here due to the incident with your family? You have my condolences on that, I know what it is like to lose something precious to you. I have been ostracized from the village for most of my life, so I had very little in the first place." Saisei replied honestly. He had technically been emancipated when he was promoted to genin, no matter if it had been revoked. He could see a flash of pity in the Uchiha's eyes, though it vanished quickly. "Do you want to come in? I've started unpacking, but there still is not much to sit on." Sasuke declined, and went back to his house on the edge of the Uchiha district. Naruto shut the door, and headed back inside to finish unpacking. After he had finished, he realized he would have to go buy more furniture. He didn't have a bed, or a sofa, or much of anything, really. He got out what blankets and pillows he had, and settled down to sleep for the first night in his new house. Tomorrow, he would get some furniture, and… it would finally be time to confront the Hokage.

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So… the second chapter is out. I know it seems rushed, but the idea is kinda leaking out of my ears, and the plot bunny is very needy.

Once again, I hope you enjoy, and please review! Feel free to ask questions.

Setsuna Eien


	3. The Imprisoned

I do not own Naruto.

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Naruto slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The ground beneath him felt cold and wet. Wait, where did his house go? And why was he in a sewer? This felt too real to be a dream. Standing up, he wrinkled his nose upon seeing that his clothes were soaked. He was in a long tunnel, with a large cage with red bars and and a piece of paper-maybe a seal-in the middle. When he got within ten feet of the gate, a huge orange paw came out, swiping at him. The claws were at least twice as long as him! Hurrying back, a huge fox like face appeared from the gloom, with long ears and baleful red eyes that bored into his soul. "**Why have you come here?!" **The fox demanded, its tails lashing behind it. "**You smell like my accursed container, but your appearance is completely different. Who are you?"**

Hesitantly stepping forward again, Naruto said, "M-my name is Uzumaki Naruto, and if you are the kyuubi, then yes, I am your container." He gave a tentative bow, for he could tell it would be wise to not anger the great fox. It may be trapped, but it was still dangerous, and apparently intelligent.

"**Indeed? Keh, at least you show some respect. You ningen seem to have almost none in the first place. But you appear completely different from either of your progenitors. You certainly **_**smell**_ **like my former host, but neither of your parents had any of the features you have. Tell me. Why is that?"**

Naruto quickly answered, "Humans have something called hair dye which allows us to change our hair color. I used a permanent technique to change my eye color. The village sees me as you, and not myself. Which leads to their contempt of me. I was recently betrayed by one of my teachers and given a field promotion to genin, but the thrice damned civilian council denied and revoked it. I knew there was no way anyone would consider hiring me if they knew my identity, so I changed my appearance and name. I am now known as Murasakiiro Saisei when in public. I also do not know who either of my parents are, so I would be very grateful if you would tell me what you know of them." He bowed once more and waited for a reply.

The fox seemed to consider his words before speaking. "**This… is interesting. These ningen are stupid enough to mistake **_**you**_ **for me? Fools. So they have wronged you as well. I will deign to inform you of your parents' names. Your mother, my previous host, was named Kushina Uzumaki. She had red hair and grey eyes. Your father, the fool, trusted the village to honor you for his, and your unwilling, sacrifice. His name was Namikaze Minato. I understand he was the leader of the village of fools you live in? The irony is tremendous. Their hero's son, hated for his father's sacrifice, against his last wish. And even I would not be so cruel as to deny a kit knowledge of their parents. Ningen are truly cruel and worthless beings."**

With this, the great fox lowered his head onto his paws, and watched, as Naruto currently appeared as if he was having a heart attack. "M-my father-WHAT? F-Fourth Hokage?! H-He sealed-why did jiji never tell me!? Why didn't he just let me know what they looked like? Or what happened to them? Or if they were even dead? "

The fox eyed him. "**Ningen often do cruel things without even trying. Did they not even inform you of me?"**

Naruto shook his head. "I didn't even know of your presence before I was betrayed. Also… is there anything I can call you besides Kyuubi? I have a feeling that's more of a title."

The fox turned its head to look at him. "**In over a thousand years… you are the first ningen to treat me as something other than an animal, or a power source. My name is Kurama, ningen. You are the first ningen to have the honor of knowing it. If you betray me by telling another, I will not hesitate to destroy the seal in any way possible. I do not care if it would cost me my life, it would be worth it to see you fall. Do not betray my trust… Naruto. Now begone, you are waking up."**

Naruto smiled, and bowed once more before fading away. "Goodbye for now… Kurama-san. And arigato."

And alone in the cage, the hint of a grin crossed the fox's lips.

* * *

As Naruto formally woke up, he wondered if it had all been a dream. That is, until he noticed that his clothes were still slightly damp, oddly enough. He also could still smell a little bit of sewer water. He pitied Kurama, having to live with that stench all day. Though if he read the fox right, he would not be very fond of pity. Standing up, he ate some instant ramen and grabbed his wallet before heading out to find some furniture.

On his way to the nearest store,he uneasily noticed that some of the girls his age were watching him-_was that Ino?!_ That shocked him back into movement. He sped up, and quickly found himself in front of the furniture store. Once inside, he marvelled at everything. King size beds, wardrobes bigger than his old apartment's bedroom, and tables large enough to seat 20 people. After searching, he found the couch area. Due to the fact that his walls were white and his floors were dark wood, he decided on a low and comfortable two seated couch. The back was at an angle, which let you lean back, and it was made of dark wood with off white cushions. He also bought two matching chairs and a coffee table in the same dark wood. An elegant dark wood lamp with a white shade completed the furniture, along with the rug, which was creamy white. Next was the fun part: the bedroom. Naruto bought the softest bed he could find, queen sized, with rails along the edges so you couldn't fall out, which he was prone to do. He also got two massive fluffy pillows and soft furry blankets, along with a sheet or two for when it got warmer. He got a smaller nightstand, along with a small lamp which was made of black metal, and to indulge himself, an orange shade. The blankets and pillows were dark teal and burnt orange, which was a fairly tame combination that he liked and that didn't burn his eyes. He got another smaller bed as well, with a small table and another blue lamp, to go in the empty smaller room. The large corner room in the house got a large white wicker couch and a rocking chair, it was sturdier than most of the other options, and he really liked it. He spent a lot of time just rocking on it, it was really fun. After he had picked out another couple of items that were boring, but necessary, he purchased his selections, had them sealed in a scroll, and left.

After setting up his new furniture, which had drawn Sasuke's attention, he slowly trudged towards the Hokage's office, but stopped as he got closer. He heaved a sigh of defeat. He could not fance his jiji. The guilt was too much. He turned around and walked home. He would leave a note in his old apartment telling him that he had moved and hidden himself to get away from the prejudice. Later that day, Sasuke came over. He was actually being tolerable, albeit antisocial. Naruto had a feeling it was partially because he was glad that Naruto was not fawning over him or attempting to impress him. He was just treating him like a normal person. After their meal, Sasuke left, and Naruto made some final changes around the house. "Tomorrow," He mused, "I will work on the garden. That's gonna be awesome!" Now that no one was around, he could be a little more hyper and cheerful. Retiring to his bedroom, he flopped on his bed and fell asleep, without Kurama interrupting him. Though the fox was good enough company, he still needed some nights to just rest. He dreamed of the future, and the freedom that was anonymity. Oddly enough, the fox showed up and yelled at him at one point for being a coward for not facing jiji. He wasn't sure whether that bit was a dream or not, though.

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And the first day of posting this ends. It's a fun concept, and opens so many pathways if Naruto to fail the exam completely. As always, feel free to ask questions. And one female OC will appear later. You can vote on basic things like hair and eyes and personality, but her role is already known. For example,

Green eyes, blonde hair, and calm would be the kind of vote I want.

Please review, it means a lot, and thanks for reading!

Setsuna Eien


	4. The Flower Shop and Sasuke

I do not own Naruto.

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Naruto yawned and sat up, reveling in the newfound comfort and warmth of his new bed. It felt like a cloud, and he never wanted to get out. But eventually, he had to. It took a while, and a lot of grumbling was involved, but he finally managed to stumble downstairs to the kitchen after getting dressed. He grabbed a box of cereal from the cupboard, noting that he had to get some more. As he got the milk from the fridge, he notice that it was seriously expired. He was NOT drinking that. Who knows what would happen? "Dammit. There's another thing on the shopping list.' He sighed, and grabbed a pad of paper on the table next to him covered in illegible handwriting. Scribbling down a note to get milk, he grabbed his frog wallet and walked out the door. It was time to get a few plants for the garden. He would get some cheap stuff first, just in case something went wrong. Grimacing, he realized the only shop he knew that had plants was Ino's family's flower shop. Idly waving his hand at Sasuke's house, he started down the empty street. Around 20 minutes later, he arrived at the shop. Walking in, a bell above the door rang with a shrill little noise. He could hear someone's footsteps coming towards him. Opening a door in the back, Ino of all people came out.

"Welcome to the Yamanaka Flower shop!" She said, giving him a welcoming smile. As she eyed him up, he remembered with a shiver that she had been one of the girls he saw watching him yesterday.

"Hey, I just bought a new property. The garden is a decent size, but I want to get some cheap stuff first so I can see what I like first. Ya have any suggestions?" He smiled cheerfully, which made Ino blush slightly, though she hid it well.

"Well, annuals would probably be your best choice if you're looking for cheap. Perennials take more care and are more expensive because they last for over a year. We just received some Elephant Ears a few days ago, but everyone wants the larger and more flashy flowers." She sighed at this, obviously a little sad that no one wanted them.

"What do they look like?" He asked, honestly curious.

Ino's eyes lit up, and she stood a little taller. "Well, they don't really have flowers, but their leaves are big, and can be brightly colored. They can have different greens, white, yellow, black, and even some reds and pinks. They're really beautiful, and don't take much care outside of watering. Are you interested in them...?" She paused, unsure of his name.

"Saisei. Murasakiiro Saisei. And yes. I think I am. Can I see them?" He smiled again, and gave her a questioning look.

"Oh, sure! What colors do you want?" She smiled back, happy that he was interested.

"Maybe... the reds and greens? The black ones also sound interesting."

With a nod, she headed back through the door, and shortly returned with 5 different plants. The first was all black, the second was dark green with some flecks of red, the third was yellow green with some darker green, the fourth was a mix of greens, and the fifth was green with red running along the larger veins.

"I think I like... these." He said, pointing at the fifth and first plants.

"We have five of the black ones, and three of the red and green. How many do you want?"

"Two of each for now, but if it turns out that I like them, I may get more." He replied, pulling out his wallet. He would need to go to Haru's and help out for some cash later, the recent purchases had made a deep gouge in his savings. He pulled out the amount of yen she had stated, and waited for her to return with the other plants. A minute later she came back with the four pants in a small container, and gave him a list of what they needed to live. He gave her again and left, waving and promising to visit again soon. When he got home he brought out a large flower pot he had found in the corner of the garden yesterday. He planted the Elephant Ears in it, for they were still fairly small, and watered them before setting them in the garden. He stood back, beaming at the plants, and ran back inside to get ready to head to Haru's.

When he arrived, he headed straight to Haru's office and walked in. Haru looked up from his unending pile of paperwork and grinned. "I was wondering if you would show up."

Naruto rubbed his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I still had a lot to plan out for my future. Got any jobs for me?"

Haru waved a hand at the paperwork and said, "Yes, the paperwork I've already done needs to be organized. You'll see a date at the top of each paper. The different colors need to be together and put in chronological order. For example, find all the purple sheets and organize them by date, the same with the blue, and so on. Got it?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, where do I put them when I've finished?"

He gestured at a filing cabinet and told Naruto to put them in there. He'll show him exactly where when he finishes organizing them. Naruto took the stack of paper he was handed and got to work.

An hour and a lot of boredom later, there was a sorted pile of paper next to him. Haru came over and showed him where to put it and thanked him for helping.

"Thanks, you really helped. Would you be willing to do this... let's say four days a week for 8,000 yen?"

He agreed, pleased with the deal. That was enough to cover his monthly payments for the house and any other groceries he may need. That reminded him, he would have to go shopping after this. His ramen stores were running low, and he had no milk. Waving to Haru, he left his office and headed to the grocery store.

That drained the last dregs of money from his wallet, aside from the 2,000 Haru had given him already for helping that day since his job had technically not officially started. Tomorrow he would go to Ichiraku's to celebrate everything that he had accomplished in the last few days. As he walked home, he took some more time to fully absorb his situation. He had a job, a house, a tentative friend in Haru, a potential friend in Ino, who he found less annoying when she wasn't fawning over Sasuke, and was on good enough terms with Sasuke himself. And speak of the devil, when he got home, Sasuke was standing outside his house, leaning against the door. When he saw Naruto, he gave a small wave and waited for him to speak. "Hey Sasuke, why are you here? Not that it's bad, but I wasn't expecting you."

Sasuke fully turned towards him and made a kind of 'hn' noise, which was the bane of Naruto's life during the academy. It transferred superiority and the fact that he didn't think it was worth it to answer you, which had really ticked him off. "I was just trying to be a polite neighbor. And you're one of the only people who doesn't give me special treatment for having my family massacred. Also... it doesn't hurt that you make really good tomato soup." He looked away, seeming slightly embarrassed.

Naruto laughed. "So the mighty Uchiha likes tomatoes, does he?" Actually, tomatoes were one of the few things he had had in his cupboards when he moved that weren't long expired. The old man had dropped them off as enticement to eat healthier on his last visit. He had made the soup because he had a feeling Sasuke wouldn't appreciate being given instant ramen as a meal. "You here for another meal, or the tomatoes?"

"Mostly to talk to someone who won't suck up to me or treat me like some injured child. Wouldn't mind some more tomatoes though."

He smiled. "Come in then. I just got groceries, so the options are a little more varied this time." He walked into the house and took off his shoes, while Sasuke followed. Dinner ended up being onigiri and more tomatoes, and while few words were exchanged, the silence was not awkward. When Sasuke left, Naruto cleaned up the remains of dinner and put them in the fridge, before heading upstairs to sleep. He skimmed through the guide for his plants for a while, but was ultimately too tired to read for long. Setting the guide to the side, he lay down and fell asleep.

* * *

This is a poll: there are several options for a pairing. It will not be important until later, but I will lay out a few options. Only the ones I can see keeping the story intact, though they will slightly change the way they meet. The path that leads to will be briefly described below. The options are:

Hinata- meets Naruto at XX event and recognizes him due to his chakra.

Ino- friendship grows after the flower shop scene. Identity revealed later.

OC- you have some level of control over this, if you look at the last chapter.

Sakura- meets her as Saisei and befriends, identity revealed later.

Yakumo Kurama- meets her during one of her rare excursions into the village. Identity revealed fairly fast.

Tayuya- meets while in the woods due to the job he will have later. Identity revealed quickly due to close proximity.

Karin- meets in village during chunin exams- identity known as an Uzumaki and jinchuuriki due to her chakra sensing abilities.

That's all for now, and I hope you enjoyed this. Once again, feel free to ask questions and please review!


	5. Unexpected Solace

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Naruto walked down the street with a skip in his step. He was heading to Ichiraku's and it had been far too long since his last visit. He pushed aside the curtain separating the stand from the street and took a seat at the end of the row of stools. Someone was on the opposite side of the seats, but he was to full of anticipation to take any notice. Bouncing up and down in his seat he waited for Teuchi or Ayame to come to the front to take his order. Leaning on the counter, he grinned as Ayame came out. "Hello, and welcome to the Ichiraku ramen stand! Do you know what you would like?"

Naruto excitedly shouted, "I'll have one extra large miso ramen please!"

Ayame smiled back at him. "Coming right up. Anything else?"

He shook his head. "Nah."

Ayame turned around and headed into the back to start his order. Naruto was sitting and waiting when the person on the other end of the row chuckled and said, "Hello Naruto. How are you?" Naruto froze, turned to his left, and found himself staring straight into he face of the Third Hokage.

*_Flashback*_

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed and buried his face in his hands. He was very tired from the events yesterday. Naruto's face full of shock and sadness from the council's announcement earlier that day was haunting him. He pulled his crystal ball out from a seal-locked compartment in his desk and channeled chakra into it to activate it.

"Naruto." He said, staring into the orb. Slowly the orb flickered, showing an image of Naruto as he henged himself into a young civilian girl with brown hair and eyes. He walked out of the alley he had been hiding in and down the street towards a store that had an advertisement for a sale on a type of tea that was popular recently due to its alleged healing properties. He opened the door and walked to an aisle that was filled with civilian makeup and other hygiene related products. He walked down to a rack of various concealers and other such things. Searching for a while he picked up a container of concealer that was similar to his own skin tone. Nodding in satisfaction, he went down to the next aisle, which was mostly shampoo and hair dye. He rifled around for a whine in the hair dye section, finally emerging with a bottle of purple-gray dye. Considering it, he seemed satisfied and walked down to the checkout and paid for his purchases before leaving.

His next stop was the library. When he entered, he headed over to a section of the library dedicated to low leveled to techniques that were deemed so pointless they were not even in the shinobi only section of the library. He searched the shelves, before settling on a book of cosmetic jutsu. Zooming in on the page he was focused on, he saw it was for a technique that was used for changing your eye color, permanently. Hiruzen began to feel a little worried about what his intention was, as he wrote down that jutsu along with one for changing hair length. Putting the book back, he walked out of the library, headed for a clothes store. He watched as Naruto picked out an outfit in violet and black and left. He made one last stop, piercing his ear. He watched as Naruto walked in silence, obviously thinking about something. He eventually stopped, and shouted out the name he had chosen as a cover,and then headed to his apartment.

Hiruzen turned off the orb, vowing to watch again the next morning, before heading home.

The next morning he returned to the tower, and once again settled himself in from of his crystal ball, activating it once more. By now Hiruzen was suspicious, and watched intently as Naruto woke up and ate before applying the hair dye, which left him with ashy purple hair with faint streaks of yellow. He took a deep breath and moved in front of the mirror, activating the eye color changing technique. He switched it around for some time, settling on a violet color similar to his clothes. He also used the length changing technique, which he kept around shoulder length. He switched off the orb as Naruto began changing into the clothes he had bought, before returning to it after he was sure that Naruto was done changing. Naruto appeared to realize the full consequences of his actions, before setting out into the village.

The next two days passed in a similar manner, albeit with different results. He was proud of how mature Naruto had acted, which he did not know he was capable of. He knew the boy had potential, and it was disappointing that it would be allowed to wither alone, as opposed to being nurtured like it would have been for anyone else. He watched as he handled buying a house, and restrained himself from acting out in front of Sasuke among other things. He was impressed with how well he held back his temper, despite the fact that he and Sasuke did not get along at all, and with how he still attempted to be polite in the face of Sasuke's spusicion. He knew the two had the potential to be the best of friends or the most fierce of foes, and was glad that Naruto did not ruin his chances of having a real friend. He had very few that he could call his family, mostly consisting of himself and Iruka, along with the Ichiraku's. Speaking of that, he saw Naruto's plans to visit them tomorrow. That would be a good time to confront him about the last few days. Satisfied with his plans, he left to arrange a break at lunch the following day.

*_Flashback end_*

* * *

"How have you been the last few days?" He asked with a smile. "Do not worry, I do not believe anyone else knows of these recent events." Seeing the shadow of Ayame on the curtain start to move, he said, "I will accompany you to your home after this meal to talk, I believe you order is arriving."

Naruto quickly turned around and acted like nothing had happened, smiling as his ramen arrived. "Itadakimasu!" he chirped, instantly focusing on the ramen in front of him. Digging in, he began to eat at a fast pace, albeit slower than normal, as that would only raise more suspicion, as he had yet to meet someone who could eat as fast as he could. Gulping down the last of the broth, he thanked Ayame for the meal, before paying and heading back, the Hokage close behind. Waving at Sasuke who had seen him approaching and had been watching from the window of his house, he opened the door and kept it open just long enough for his jiji to slip inside unseen. Taking off his shoes and heading towards his couch, he took a seat and motioned for Hiruzen to sit in the chair opposite him. He did so, and leaned backward against the back of the chair, relaxing.

Naruto leaned forward, a suspicious glint in his eye. "So, jiji, how did you know who I was? Neither Sasuke or Ino realized who I was, so I thought I was doing a good job of hiding."

Hiruzen smiled. "You actually hid quite well. If not for the fact I have been watching you for the last couple days, I would have barely suspected anything. Very impressive. But you forgot one thing. Yor chakra. It is much larger than most jounin, and _it's_ chakra stands out against yours. You could fool most low level ninja and civilians, but anyone higher than that, or a curious Hyuuga, could figure it out easily. If you intend to stay hidden, I would suggest masking or sealing away your chakra. However, that would make it impossible to be a ninja, even in disguise. You could just limit some of it, and still be able to do basic jutsu, but you would still be quickly recognized. Masking it would require excellent control, and you have too much chakra to efficiently mask it. No matter what you do, I would recommend staying away from all Hyuuga, for even then _it's_ chakra would be noticeable."

Naruto looked saddened. "So even now I can't become a ninja. I had hoped… but I guess it wouldn't be the same as just earning respect and recognition from the villagers. I'll have to think about it before making any decisions though. I-It's just… my dream is _gone_, dattebayo."

Hiruzen stood up and walked over to Naruto. Sitting next to him on the couch, he wrapped Naruto in a hug. Naruto didn't even try to fight it, he just leaned into it and cried. Everything he had been bottling up for the last week exploded out of him. The sadness, the anger, the resentment, the relief, the depression, everything came pouring out. The Hokage just sat there and held the one he thought of as a grandson. Naruto may always have a bright smile, but every glare, every hurtful comment, every insult piled up until it was so large a backup that it could not be contained by his heart. This had happened several times before, and every time he would cry until everything was out. The Hokage was like a pillar of support when he needed it, and Naruto felt ashamed for not telling him of his actions when he had tried. He should have known that his jiji would not have been angry. Slowly, his sobbing stopped, and he leaned away from the Hokage. The old man smiled, and said, "Naruto, I will always be there for you. You are like a second grandson, and I love you dearly. You can always talk to me. I have to go back to my work now, but feel free to come over when you want to. I will never turn you away. Goodbye, and remember, someone loves you. And I'm not the only one. What about Iruka, or the Ichirakus? They love you too. Ayame is like an older sibling and Teuchi is like an uncle to you. Yesterday, they came to me and asked where you were because it isn't like you to miss your lunch that you always have that day. And Iruka is like your brother. You can tell he cares from the way he acts with you. He's only strict because he wants you to succeed. Even if you're not a ninja, that doesn't mean you can't talk to him. More people care about you than you think. I'll see you soon, Naruto." And with that, he left the house and started to walk back to his office.

Naruto stood on the doorstep watching him go while waving to him, tears still on his cheeks. He slept the soundest he had in days that night, and walked with a lighter step and a brighter smile, heading towards his future.

* * *

Wow, did not actually expect to write that last bit there. It just kinda wrote itself. It gave some more character interaction and more emotion, and while I'm decent at writing emotional stuff, this was above average for me. I hope you enjoyed this, and please review.


	6. The Art Fair

Hey, first of all I have an announcement. While this story is DEFINITELY not being abandoned, the updated might be a little less frequent because I'm aiming for slightly longer chapters. That's all.

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Naruto smiled as he walked back from his job at Haru's office. He had discovered that there was no law officially forbidding civilians from using jutsu, but most academy dropouts ended up not actually looking for the laws that said that they could not use jutsu, and that most just assumed there were such laws. After learning such, he had taken the risk of using the Shadow clone technique to help Haru sort his paperwork. He had been shocked at first, but had accepted when Naruto said he would rather not explain how he came by the technique. It had come in very handy over the course of those past few hours. He had decided after much contemplation to have his chakra sealed, but keeping enough unsealed that it was still enough to create a shadow clone or two. Anymore than that though, and he would put himself in danger.

It felt… strange to not have the large amount of energy he was used to having hovering at the edge of his awareness. But at the same time, the seal could be removed at any time, so he could protect himself if necessary. The remaining chakra, which was still around jounin level, could be suppressed without much issue. It turned out the reason he could not do the ordinary clone jutsu was because his insane amount of chakra required Tsunade-level amounts of control.

It was actually a normal process for an academy student to have their chakra measured every six months or so, but Mizuki had been in charge of the tests, and so Naruto had been unaware of their existence. If he had been tested, they would have been required to find a clone technique that he _could_ use, and have him learn that instead. But it was too late for that, and he was settling into his new life nicely.

Old man Hokage had come over again in the last week, this time bringing Iruka. Naruto had been delighted to see his surrogate older brother again, and Iruka was very shocked after he learned the identity of the person who had barreled into him and hugged him the second the Hokage opened the door. After getting over his surprise, he had returned the hug with equal enthusiasm, glad to see the one he thought of as a brother again. He had been frantic when he had walked over to Naruto's apartment and opened the door, only to find it completely vacant and empty. He had spent the last week distracted by worrying for Naruto, wherever he may be. It was the biggest relief of his life to learn that Naruto was indeed safe and sound, and that he was finally taking his own responsibilities seriously. However, Naruto did get a severe scolding for scaring him so much, before he finally stopped to catch his breath and calm down. He was impressed with Naruto's actions, for he was being more mature than almost all of the students he had ever taught, when he normally was a bit of a clown. He was also relieved to know that he was still the same Naruto, despite having gained more control of his emotions.

He had stopped at Naruto's house once for dinner, and Sasuke had come over shortly after. He was surprised that Naruto knew the academy teacher, and had asked how they met. Coming up with a cover on the spot, Naruto had said that he had been considering becoming a ninja when he was younger, but that he had quit after only a month or two, realizing it was not his path. He had been in the next class up from Sasuke, so they had never met. However, he had remained in touch with Iruka, and they were still close. Sasuke had accepted the explanation, and the three had spent the night talking with each other, mainly Naruto and Iruka, as Sasuke was still not that talkative. Iruka had left first, saying that he needed to set up a schedule for his next class. Sasuke had left shortly after, for the genin test was tomorrow, and he needed to prepare. He had left muttering under his breath about pink haired bookworms and smelly mutts.

Naruto had cleaned up the remains of the udon and teriyaki they had had as their meal, before reclining on the chair he was in and picking up the book of careers he had been reading the past few days. He had ruled out the office jobs and other diplomatic and office related positions fairly quickly. This had left him with things such as teaching, smithing, woodwork, and various arts, though he had also ruled being a musician out, as he did not have the necessary patience to succeed there.

Smithing and woodwork went on the list of 'probably not' he had made, teaching was a maybe, and there were a few arts he was interested in. They were painting, sculpture, and writing. He was dubious about writing, but he had quickly discovered he did not have any talent for it. He was crap at writing good dialogue, and poems made him want to tear his hair out. The main reasons that painting was still on the list was because he had visited a museum while wandering around the village. Something about the paintings there had intrigued him, and he was curious about what it took to paint well. Sculpture was frustrating, as everytime he would correct one thing, it would ruin something else, and he would storm away from the desk in the study on the second floor. When he had first tried painting, he had been awkward and clumsy, but he was having fun, so he continued practicing. He had tried several methods before he found something he felt like he could keep doing. Portraits were out, as he faced similar problems as he did when sculpting. The two methods he found he liked were using a strange kind of paints called acrylic paints, as opposed to traditional watercolors, for landscapes. A stroke of green and he had a hill. A splotch of yellow and he had a sun. Blue streaks were oceans, and red was fire. The colors were so much deeper than watercolors, and shone with vibrant life.

The other method he had found was actually an accident. He had been frustrated with a portrait when he had knocked over all the bottles of paint onto the canvas, creating a puddle of paint. He had quickly retrieved the canvas, intending to wash off the most of the paint so he could reuse it, when he stopped. The reds and oranges, the black and yellow, the blue and green, had all splashed together to form a startling contrast on the canvas. If he turned it one way, it looked like a grassland of ponds with a sunset, another way and it looked like a wave of green and blue water washing over a fiery beach. The black was shadows, and the white was light. The blue was water, and the green was earth. The reds and oranges were fire, and the yellow was the light of the sun. it had entranced him, and he had set it down and cleaned up the paint on the table before it dried. Struck with an idea, he collected the green and blue paint, along with the black, white, and some purple he had set off to the side, and poured a small amount of each in a cup. Grabbing a cheaper cardboard canvas, he had poured the paint on the canvas, tilting the piece of cardboard and fabric side to side to fully spread the paint. Stepping back to look at his work, he was once again impressed. This one looked like the ocean from a cloudy sky, or even the surface of a strange planet, with black clouds and blue ad green skies. This, he could do something with. He would have to make more of these, for they were so different from anything he had ever seen before.

He had been planning to set up a small stall at the next market, which was in a week. He had chosen this one because there was an art festival going on at the same time, and artists from all of Hi no Kuni would be there, selling their work. Over the next week, he created seven more paintings, four of the splashed ones and three landscapes. The splashed ones were black, white, and various pinks; red, yellow, orange, and white; green, yellow, white, and black; and purple, black, and red, respectively. The three landscapes were of a sakura tree in full bloom, a sunset on the Hokage monument, and an oak tree in autumn, yellow, red and orange leaves melding with a dark teal lake in the background. He loved them all, and was excited to have other opinions on them. When the day of the festival came, he had left to set up before the sun itself had risen. He was just in time, for the hopeful merchants had started to come to set up as well. If he had come any later, the amount of people swarming around would have made it impossible to set up his stall. He had rented a small cart from Haru the day before, and it was fairly simple to find an empty space among the steadily growing hustle of the morning. Removing the small fold-up chair stored inside a compartment in the stall, he set up his paintings and relaxed.

Around a half hour later, shoppers started to arrive, eager to get the best deals and prices for the art available. Another hour later, Naruto had his first visitor. It was a young woman, probably a chunin level kunoichi if her posture and appearance had anything to say about her, and a civilian man of around the same age. They were holding hands, and you could see the rings shining on their fingers. Naruto would say that they had probably just gotten engaged, for they still had the air of people who had just fallen in love as opposed to the way that he had seen the parents at the academy treat each other. They were browsing, and seemed interested in the first purposeful splash painting, as he called them. It was the one of purple, blue, and green, which looked like a different planet or a cloudy ocean sky. The man walked up to him, and smiled as he asked how much the painting was.

"Hello, my fiance and I were browsing when we saw this. It is quite the work of art. Do you know who made it?"

Naruto smiled. "Actually, I'm the artist. They don't have a fixed price, but they are for sale. How much would you be willing to pay?"

The man looked surprised. "Seriously? But you're so young. I'm impressed. How does 30,000 ryo sound?"

Naruto blinked in surprise. He had seen some of the neighboring stalls selling things for over 50,000, but he was still surprised at how much the couple were willing to pay. "Th-that's fine. But I was actually not expecting that much. Why do you think it's worth so much?"

"I… don't really know. There's just so much emotion in it, as if you poured all your emotions into it as you painted. Also, I've never seen anything else like it. It's quite striking."

Naruto puffed up slightly upon hearing the praise. "Thanks, and if you're willing to pay that much, who am I to refuse?"

The man smiled again. "Thank you. It really is something special."

And with that, he handed Naruto the payment and left with the painting. Naruto sat there, lost in thought for a while. If all his paintings sold for that, he would be able to live off of the money he made. He had certainly found his new career.

He sold five of the other paintings before leaving. The only ones left were one of the landscapes, and two of the splash paintings. He left for home much richer and sure of his work then he had been when he left. He had his career, and his life was getting even brighter.

* * *

Yes yes, I know the ending isn't the best, but I wasn't quite sure to wrap it up, and I thought that if it was any longer, I would burn myself out. So, the updates will be less frequent, but the chapters will be longer. Remember, vote for the OC and pairing, and please review!


	7. Cliffside Contemplation

The results for the pairing so far are:

Yakumo: 1

Karin: 2

OC: 1

Hinata: 1

Ino: 1

Tayuya: 1

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Naruto smiled as he watched the bustle of the village from the top of the Hokage monument. Lying in the late afternoon sun, he sighed and watched the clouds go by. He had been able to pay off another 2 months worth of payments for his house. He was relieved to have two months off from the stress, even though he could pay more of it if he wanted. Sitting up again, he noticed someone sitting on the head next to him. Walking over, he saw it to be a boy around his own age, with long brown hair and almost white lavender eyes. As he got nearer, the boy's head snapped towards him. "Who are you?" He demanded, staring at Naruto warily.

"My name is Saisei. You looked lonely, so I decided to talk to you." The boy turned away.

"I don't need to talk to someone."

"Everyone needs to talk to someone sometimes. Bottling up your emotions is never good. I have a tendency to do it myself, but at least I have someone to talk to. You don't look like you have anyone. Eventually they all come out, and then you feel so weak and vulnerable. Talking to someone helps you get rid of whatever's piled up inside." He smiled, watching the boy.

"And who would I talk to? _You?_ I don't even know you. How do I know you won't tell the first person who asks about me?"

"I'm a civilian, and I don't even know your name. How am I supposed to expose you? How could I hurt you? Showing emotion isn't weakness. Being controlled by them is. There's a difference." He studied the boy's face as he said this, seeing a small frown taking form.

They sat in silence for a while, before the boy finally said,

"My father died when I was young. Someone tried to kidnap the heiress to my family, and my uncle, the clan leader, killed him. But the village that sent the kidnapper was angry, and demanded appeasement in the form of the killer's head. My father, the leader's identical twin brother, was sent in the place of his brother. If my stupid, weak, pathetic cousin hadn't been so _useless,_ my father would still be alive."

Naruto hummed. "How is that her fault? She probably was young, so why do you expect her to know how to fight off a kidnapper at however old she was. You're speaking like this happened a long time ago, and as if you're older, so she was probably very young. Would you have been able to fight what was most likely a highly trained shinobi at her age?"

"My family has been bound to hers in servitude for generations. It is our fate to die for them, no matter how useless they are. We are destined to die for a foolish cause. My cousin was not worth my father's life."

"Then fate must be a sad thing, if you have no free will to think for yourself. If fate is behind everything, it must also be fate for her to survive. Maybe she'll be stronger or more important in the future. Have you ever asked your uncle what happened? Maybe he knows something you don't. I know that if I had a sibling I would gladly die for them. Maybe something similar happened with them?"

He kept talking. "And fate is a lie anyway. What is the point of living if everything is already planned out for us? We must seize fate in our own hands. I want to control my own destiny." He had slowly started raising his voice as he talked, and when he stopped he was almost shouting.

He scoffed. "You know nothing of me. You probably have both parents, friends, a life outside of servitude and prejudice. It is fate's will for me to die in servitude."

Naruto jumped up. "At least you had _known _your father. I have no parents. The village hated me, ignored me, and treated me as less than _dirt_. If I had submitted to fate, I'd be _dead_. Our future is not concrete. At least try to control it! What's the point of existing if we have no free will?!"

The boy sat there thinking. "You… are very wise for a civilian. I have not talked to either my uncle or my cousin since that day. You have given me much to think on." He stood up, walking down the trail back to the village. "And by the way, my name is Neji. Neji Hyuga. I hope we meet again." He looked away and faded into the distance, disappearing down the path.

Naruto froze, thanking Kami he had not given Neji reason to activate his bloodline. Of all his luck, the boy had to be a Hyuga! Sighing in relief at not being discovered, he lay back down and went back to watching the sky, wondering about Neji's past. He pitied him. No one should be alone with that much misery. An hour later, he packed up and headed back to the village, carrying a freshly painted landscape of the sunset on the village.

* * *

Bonus: Iruka's reaction

"He was WHAT!?"

Iruka was furious, storming around the Hokage's office before banging his fist on the table.

Hiruzen sighed. "The council overwhelmed me with a majority vote to deny Naruto's promotion. They were technically correct saying you did not have the authority to promote him, but i had been willing to overlook it as I had been planning to promote him afterwards anyway. It appears I have both become too complacent since retaking this position, and placed too much trust in my old friends. For them to betray me in such a manner is… indescribably excruciating. I had thought that they would be able to look past the Kyubi, but it appears I was mistaken." Iruka's face softened.

"Speaking of Naruto, where is he? He hasn't come to see me yet, and he normally would have shown up by now."

"...I honestly don't know. He hasn't been by here either."

"I'm going to look for him. I'll come back in three days if I still haven't found him. He could just be hiding somewhere."

"I'll expect you to report to me when you find him. You are dismissed, chunin Umino." With a nod, Iruka left to search for Naruto. Sighing, Hiruzen pulled out a blank piece of paper. Scribbling a message on it hastily, he addressed it to its intended recipient, and sent it out the window on a messenger hawk. He only prayed it got to him before he found out another way. Otherwise all hell would break loose, and the civilian and elder councils would be doomed, politically important or not. Nothing would protect them from the wrath of an angry spymaster hellbent on revenge for his godson.

* * *

Two days later…

A man was walking on a beaten path in a forest when a messenger hawk swooped down and landed on a nearby branch. Extending its leg to him, he untied the letter and shooed the hawk away. As he read it, his face grew darker and darker. Crumpling it up and stuffing it in his pocket, he immediately began heading back towards Konoha. The council would pay. Oh, they would pay. His revenge would be slow and painful. He would ruin their reputation by bringing even the smallest facts to light, and when they were left ruined, he would swoop in and end them. Jiraiya was PISSED, and he had his next mission: Protecting his godson. This Sannin was out for blood and he would get it, consequences be damned.

Back in Konoha, all the members of the civilian and elder councils felt a chill run down their spines simultaneously. They shook it off as nothing, unaware of how much they would regret that action later.


	8. A Painting for Ino

Ok, this will be one of the last three chapters before the pairing is decided. There are also almost no votes on the OC, so that also needs to happen soon. The pairings are currently at:

Hinata:2

Ino:1

Karin:2

OC:1

Yakumo:1

Tayuya:2

Sakura:0

If Sakura has no votes next chapter, I'm going to take her off the list.

Also, this is kind of a lull in between events, so this is mostly just character interaction.

I'm sorry this went up late, but I'm currently sick, so sitting up to type is hard for me. This chapter probably should have waited till I could at least sit up comfortably, but I didn't want it to be too terribly late.

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

"So, how've you been Saisei? Any interesting stuff going on?" Ino leaned over the table at the flower shop, smiling flirtatiously at him. Naruto blushed a little, unused to the attention. Sure, he had seen people flirt before, but this was the first time it was directed at him.

"Nothing really. Got everything settled into my new house, and I've started on career."

"Ooh, really? What is it?"

"I'm thinking I'm going to be an artist. I made a few paintings, and I sold them at the art fair a while ago for some money. I honestly wasn't expecting people to be that interested, but they seemed to like them."

Ino' eyes sparkled with interest. "What were they of? How much did your best sell for?"

"Well, I used two methods. The first were landscapes, like mountains, hills, lakes, trees, that kind of thing. I would have to say my favorite is of the Hokage monument at sunset. That one sold though. It actually sold for the most, at 50,000 yen. Crazy, right? The other paintings were something I call splash painting. I just pour different colors of paint in a cup and pour it onto a canvas before tilting it to cover everything with the paint. They always turn out really cool, and they were interesting to the people who had came by. Probably 'cause I didn't use watercolors. I used something called acrylic paint, which is thicker and brighter colored."

Ino seemed even more interested. "I don't want to be rude, but could you make a painting of me?"

He tilted his head, confused. "Like, a portrait? I'm not that good at people or animals."

She shook her head. "Nah, while that would be cool, I was thinking a flower or a tree. The walls in my room are really empty, and I'd like to have something to cover them."

Naruto nodded, understanding. "Alright, I can do that. Any particular colors?"

She thought about it. "Maybe… Purple and white, and maybe some light blue and pale yellow. It's kinda my color scheme, so I'd like to keep that intact. There can be other colors in the background, but the flowers should stick out."

"Ok, I think I've got it. That it?"

"Yeah, thanks a lot for this." He nodded and stood up, smiling.

"Well, see ya later Ino! Have a good day!" With that, he turned around and left the shop. She waved as he left, muttering under her breath about, 'lazy teammates' and an 'irresponsible sensei'.

Naruto walked down the street, heading to Haru's. This was his third week working, so he had gotten the hang of remembering to come over on time down pretty well. He had been late a few times, but that was really only in the first week.

Four hours of paperwork later, Naruto headed home to work on the painting for Ino. Grabbing a canvas and various colors of paint, he sat at his desk and began working.

Half an hour later, he looked at what he had so far. He had a forest background, but he didn't have the flowers yet. Picking up his brush, he got back to work.

Another hour later, he smiled at the completed work. Where there once was blank space, there now were small, delicate looking flowers, in all shades of purple, white, and pale yellow and blue. They were in a clearing in a forest, with a beam of light shining from above. Small butterflies were dotted here and there, glowing in the painted sunlight. Nodding in satisfaction, he left the painting out to dry and cleaned up his work space before heading to bed. He would give Ino the painting tomorrow.

When he woke up the next morning, it was to someone knocking on the door. Stumbling out of bed and down the stairs, he opened the door. "Hello?"

The third Hokage was standing there, a smile on his face. "Hello Naruto. It's been a while since I saw you, so I decided to come over for breakfast. How have you been?"

Naruto smiled back. "I've been good, jiji. Started painting a while ago, so I have something to do in my spare time. I'm working on a painting for Ino right now."

The Hokage blinked in surprise. "Ino? I didn't know you met her."

He laughed. "Yeah, she was there when I was getting some plants to start my garden. She helped me pick them out, and I talk to her whenever I stop by. If you had told me a month or two ago that I would be friends with Ino, I would've said you were crazy."

Hiruzen chuckled. "May I come in?"

"Do ya really need to ask jiji?"

The two headed back inside, Hiruzen sitting down while Naruto grabbed some leftover onigiri and udon from the fridge. He asked if the Hokage wanted any, which he declined.

He sat down, and the two entered into a calm (for Naruto) conversation.

"Hey jiji, do you where Sasuke is? I haven't seen him for a few days." He slurped up some udon.

"Sasuke and his team got their first C-rank mission a while ago, so it will be a while before he is back. Have you two been getting along?"

Naruto looked up from his bowl. "Yeah, definitely. Probably 'cause I don't call him teme anymore. He's ok, I guess. He still broods a lot, but he doesn't seem as hostile as he used to be."

Hiruzen smiled. "When I learned that you were living next to him, I was worried, but you seem to be working it out just fine. I'm very proud of you."

Fifteen minutes later Hiruzen left, and Naruto prepared to head over to Ino's.

Walking over, he enjoyed the sights of Konoha. The shops opening in the morning, the families walking down the street together, the fresh morning breeze. He smiled, and spent the walk just admiring it all. Shortly after, he arrived at the flower shop and opened the door, painting in a bag under his arm. But it was not Ino at the counter. It was a man who looked like an older version of her, probably a relative or her father.

"Hello, is Ino here?"

The man looked at him. "She's upstairs, you need her?"

"Yeah, I made a painting for her,and I'm here to give it to her. If she's not here, I'll give it to you for now."

The man shook his head. "No, she's upstairs in her room right now. I'll call her down."

"Sorry I forgot to ask, but what's your name?"

"The name's Inoichi. I'm Ino's father."

"I'm Saisei."

He nodded. "I've heard Ino talking about you."

A few minutes later, Ino came down the stairs. "What is it daddy?" Then she noticed Naruto. "Oh, hey Saisei! Do you have the painting?"

Naruto smiled. "Yeah, I finished it last night. I hope you like it!"

He handed her the bag with the painting in it, and she took off the bag. She squealed when she saw it. "Ohmygosh! I love it!" setting the painting down, she tackled Naruto in a hug. Standing up, they brushed themselves off. "You have a lot of talent. It's really beautiful." She said, smiling at him.

He blushed. He was used to not receiving praise from people besides Iruka and his jiji, so that still surprised him whenever he heard it.

Inoichi came over to look at it. He whistled. "My daughter's right. This is quite good."

The three talked about the painting and various other subjects for a while, before Naruto once again had to head over to Haru's.

The two talked for a while, idly doing the work they had to do as the sun went down. The work may have been dull, but it was necessary, and Naruto didn't really mind it. Before long, he packed up and walked back to his house. On the way back, he passed a BBQ joint where he stopped for some food. He hadn't been out for a while, except for Ichiraku's. The pork was delicious, and he reminded himself to come again at some point. On the way out, he spotted Neji sitting at a table with a girl with brown hair, a man wearing green spandex (shudder) and a boy who looked like the man's carbon copy. Waving to him, he walked out and back to his house. Flopping on the couch, he picked up a book given to him by the Hokage. It was on various types of art, mostly painting, and details on what skills they took, techniques to help in making them, and what they were worth. It was boring, but the information was useful and would help in the future. He eventually set it down and headed upstairs to his bed. He fell asleep, and spent some time that night in his mindscape talking to Kurama. It had been an interesting talk, that was for sure. He told him stories of past adventures, some of which were from when he was sealed in Naruto's mother. Eventually, he fully drifted off and spent the rest of the night in a dreamless sleep.

OMAKE

"Hey, Kurama, if this is my mindscape, why don't I look the way I used to?"

The fox huffed. "**This does not follow the rules of the real world. It is your mind, so anything you imagine exists, does exist here.**"

Naruto thought for a moment grinning. "So…"

Kurama recognized that look. _That_ was the look of a Naruto about to pull a prank. "**Oh, no. Oh, **_**hell**_ **no.**"

Half an hour later, Kurama was the size of a rabbit, and rabbits the size he normally was were hunting him, with teeth so large there was no way they were herbivores. "**I'm going to get you back for this you brat! You'll see!**"

Naruto just laughed harder.

* * *

I'm sorry it's not longer, but I've been sick the last few days, so sitting up isn't that easy. I hope you weren't annoyed by the late posting of this. But anyway, there are no votes for the OC's appearance. If you didn't know how that poll works, you can vote for hair and eye color, along with personality. Also, If no one votes for Sakura as the pairing within the next chapter or two, she'll be taken off the pairings list.

I hope you're enjoying this, and please review!

Setsuna Eien


	9. Kurama's Story

Sakura still has no votes, so she's being removed from the pairing. The current stats are:

Tayuya: 4

Karin: 6

Hinata: 4

Yakumo: 1

OC: 1

Ino: 4

So, Karin in the lead, with Tayuya, Hinata, and Ino in a tie for second. There are only two more chapters to vote, so If you don't vote soon, you'll miss your chance!

At this point, still no one has voted for the OC. She will still appear as a character, even if she is not the pairing. I'm just going to give you three options for each category.

Blue/Green/Amber eyes,

Brown/Black/Red hair,

Calm and gentle, cold but caring, or kind and shy. If no one votes, I'll just choose myself.

Updates will be more regular now, but they will be set at every friday. That gives me a set time, and time to proofread and improve them. I'm sorry if they're not as frequent as you wanted, but this will be more manageable for me, and keep me from stressing over a schedule. If I finish one early, I'll still post it on friday to keep to the schedule. That will also give me time to work on oneshots and the next chapter, along with a plot outline. I'm a beta, so this is self beta-ed as well.

Enjoy!

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

"There!"

Standing up, Naruto examined his work. He had just bought more plants for his garden, along with several fruits and vegetables. He had also invested in a small apple tree, so he would have something to eat if he ran out of food eventually.

The plants were lined up in neat rows, one after another. The flowers were mostly elephant ears and some small daffodils, which were not very needy. The vegetables consisted of a bizarre kind of cucumber called a snake cucumber, which would be paler than other kinds, not to mention around 2 feet long and curly. Some tomatoes that he had gotten because they were the same kind as the ones jiji had bought him, partially because Sasuke liked him, and he was his only friend, unaware or not, and partially because they were large when ripe, and good for adding to other food. He had been experimenting with homemade ramen, and he was getting pretty good. At least, he thought so. The other vegetable was beans, which was something else for his ramen. There were some wild onions growing in the corner, and the stems would be a good substitute for scallions or leeks. The fruit, besides the apples, was a bizarre orange spiky melon that had been brought by a trader, which he claimed was called a Kiwano melon. He had no idea what it was, but the trader had shown him a ripe melon, and they were weird. He had bought it mostly out of curiosity, and the fact that he once again wanted something orange. No matter what others said, it was an awesome color.

Taking off his gloves and dusting off his clothes, which were a simple pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, he headed back inside to make some lunch. After that, maybe he'd visit Sasuke, or see if he could find Neji somehow. He may have only met him once, but he seemed okay once you got past the "I want to kill my cousin" thing.

Grabbing some noodles from a cupboard, he threw them on the stove in a pot. He'd just put some soy sauce on them when he ate them. He didn't really feel like doing anything fancy. He still needed to fully clean up the window room, so maybe he'd do that while the noodles cooked. Taking a broom propped against the bottom of the stairs, he went upstairs.

The room really was awesome. Once it was clean, or at least the walls and floor were dusted and washed, the white and blue really did look like a sky. Dropping the broom, he collapsed on the wicker couch. Hearing the noodles starting to bubble, he reluctantly got up to go thate them out of the water.

Once he had finished his meal and shoved the dishes into the sink to deal with another time, he started walking down to Haru's.

On the way there, he noticed that people finally seemed to have realized that he (or at least the Naruto they knew) hadn't been seen for a while. Some seemed to think that he was dead, while others thought he was waiting for something.

Waving idly to the desk person (who's name he didn't know), he opened the door.

"Hey Haru-oji!"

Over the time that he had spent with the man, he had become an uncle figure to the boy. He treated him well, as he knew he could handle himself, and genuinely enjoyed talking to him.

He looked up. "Ah, Saisei, I'm sorry, but I have other business to attend to soon, so you don't have to work today. You can make it up tomorrow."

"Whatcha gotta do, oji-san?"

"I have a meeting with an important client, so I need to leave a little early if I want to be on time. It takes a while to get where I'm going, so I need to leave now. I was just about to pack up, actually."

Naruto nodded. "Ok, well see ya!"

After leaving, he headed towards the art store, which was next to the hospital. Just as he was about to go in, he saw someone running towards the hospital, an injured person, who he could not clearly see, being carried piggyback. Someone else was behind them, and it was them he recognized.

It was Sakura.

Looking closer, he saw the person carrying their teammate was Kiba, and… stifling a gasp, he realized the person he was carrying was Sasuke. He was in bad shape, with a nasty wound on his head and cuts across his torso. He was limp, most likely unconscious. Running up to them, he asked what was happening.

"Sasuke! What happened?"

Kiba turned towards him. "Who're you?"

Naruto smacked his head internally. "I'm his neighbor. I've talked to him a few times, so I recognized him when I saw his face."

Kiba sighed a a medic came up to them and took Sasuke. "We were on a mission, but the man who hired us lied about the rank. We were ambushed, and Sasuke got hurt. Our sensei called for reinforcements, and he told us to head back here as fast as possible. He stayed with the client."

Naruto watched as Sasuke was carried inside the building, worried and shocked. The teme may not be his favorite person, but he was warming up to him slowly. He definitely didn't want him to die. Sighing, he turned around and went back to the art store.

Naruto collapsed in a chair. The day had been long, and he didn't particularly feel like painting or cooking at the moment. Considering his options, he concentrated for a moment, digging into his consciousness, and pulled himself into his mindscape. Looking up, he found himself outside of Kurama's cage.

"Hello?"

A red eye opened. "**What is it brat?**"

He shrugged. "I was bored, and I didn't really have anything to do, so I thought I'd talk to you."

He rolled his eyes. "**Idiot.**"

There were traces of affection in the word, so Naruto wasn't really that annoyed. "I was also kinda wondering if you could tell me your story. You know what happened to me, but I don't really know what happened to you. You don't have to tell me, I'm just interested."

Kurama sighed. "**My past is very long, and to make sense of it, you would have to know the story of my kin. I will tell you, but If I feel you are not paying attention, I shall stop, and never speak of it again.**"

Naruto leaned forward, chin resting on his hands.

"**It started so very, very, long ago, in the time of the one you ningen called the Sage of Six Paths, or the Rikudo Sennin. It started when a woman appeared, seemingly from the moon itself. Her name was...**"

_Kaguya. From far away, across the stars, she came to this planet. I do not know where she hailed from, or why she left. Confronted by the people, she wiped their minds of her, letting them believe she was the concubine of their king, and had grown up in their country. Breaking a law, she and her handmaiden were driven away. Soon after she left, she found and ate of the fruit of the god tree, which only bears one fruit in a millenium. Gaining immense power, she ended the wars of the land, being worshipped as a goddess. Eventually, she bore two children, twin boys named Hamura and Hagoromo. As the children grew, their mother went mad. Controlling the tree, she leeched off the energy of the people, killing them. The boys noticed nothing, not until a childhood friend and love had disappeared. Chasing after her, they found her dying underneath the tree. Confronting their mother, the boys fought her, sealing her in the moon. The eldest, Hamura, would guard her prison. I do not know what became of him. The younger, Hagoromo, split the chakra of the monster ten-tails into the nine bijuu, with me being the eldest. He was our father, along with his two sons. The younger, Ashura, and the elder, Indra. Indra was talented, but felt nothing for teamwork and camaraderie. Ashura was clumsy, but knew the value of friends. On his deathbed, Hagoromo declared Ashura his successor, enraging Indra. The brothers clashed, and Indra disappeared into history. His descendants would be known as the Uchiha. Ashura led his village with a steady and caring hand, and his descendants would be known as the Senju, along with their sister clan the Uzumaki, your ancestors. I, along with my siblings, would roam the lands for many years, avoided for fear of death. Then, Madara Uchiha ensnared me in his Illusions, leading to me being sealed in the first Hokage's wife, Mito. From her, I was sealed into your mother, Kushina, and upon her death, you. I have been treated like an object, a beast with no will of its own, only power to be used as others saw fit. And here I remain till this day, waiting to be freed._

Kurama turned away, unaware of the tears streaming down Naruto's face. He could no imagine being alone for so long, only to be treated like an object. No wonder he hated, or at least had hated, him. He was the cause of his misery and imprisonment. "I-I'm sorry." He whispered, the words barely audible.

The fox did not turn towards him."**It isn't you fault brat, it isn't your fault.**"

The rest of their time before Naruto left to sleep was spent in silence.

* * *

Hi! So… some people asked why Kurama was being so nice. My answer is, immortal chakra beast or not, he is still a sentient being. Also, foxes are social animals, so if you go off that, he would no doubt be lonely. He's spent… what? 2,000 years pretty much alone? Everyone needs some outside contact. No wonder he was a ball of angry fluff.

And yes, the fruits and vegetables mentioned are real. We grew snake cucumbers once, and they were _massive_. Those proportions were not exaggerating, at least for the ones we grew.

All the other information is at the top, so that's about it.

As always, feel free to ask questions, and please review!

Setsuna Eien


	10. Lunch and Haru's Daughter

Hey! So, the pairings are quite skewed right now, and the leaders are so obvious that it's not even funny. It looks like next chapter isn't even necessary for the poll, but I'll keep it up just because I said I would

The votes are:

Karin: 12

Hinata: 10

Yakumo: 1

OC: 3

Tayuya: 6

Ino: 6

So, Karin, Hinata, Tayuya and Ino, OC, and Yakumo. Well, even though I'm sad to say it, Yakumo will be removed from the pairing. She only has one vote, and the next chapter is the last chance to vote, so she has no chance of winning. If votes for her skyrocket, I'll keep her in, but I'm pretty sure she's off the list.

Also, crushes do not count as the pairing, so if you really want to see it, I could have Naruto date someone for a while, before the real pairing happens. In this chapter, Ino may seem like she's trying to ask Naruto out, but she's not, she may have a small crush on him, but they will settle into just friendship unless their pairing wins.

If somehow something ties, I'll run a poll on which of them will win.

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Naruto walked through the empty halls of the hospital, bathed in the early morning light. Checking that he had the right room, he knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Cracking the door open, he peered around, spotting Sasuke in one of the chairs by the bed.

He frowned. "Should you be up yet?"

Sasuke looked at him, slightly relieved. "Oh. Saisei. I thought you might be Sakura or Ino. And I feel fine, except for the headache."

"Still, you shouldn't be moving until they let you."

Sasuke looked away. "Che. I don't want to lie down."

"You realize you sound like a pouting six year old, right?"

He glared at him. "Why are you even here?"

Naruto gave him a look. "You're my neighbor, and to some degree, my friend. What kind of friend would I be if I left you in here alone?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but you could see traces of amusement in it.

Half an hour later, Naruto left. Heading down the street, he once again opened the door of the flower shop. "Hello?" He called, peering around.

"Hi Saisei!" Ino came running out of the back. "Sorry, but I'm about to leave for a team training session. Although, pretty much all that happens is Shikamaru and Sensei playing Shoji while Choji watches and eats. They barely ever actually do anything!"

"Oh. Well, I guess I'll see you later."

"Wait!" Ino grabbed his arm. "My team is having lunch at the barbeque place nearby. Maybe I'll see you there. It would be nice to actually have someone to talk to."

Naruto smiled. "Yeah, I can probably come. I have the job I'm working at just after lunch, so I won't be there for a long time though."

Ino smiled back. "Ok. I'll see you there." Turning around, she ran out the door towards the training grounds where her team met.

Naruto followed her out the door, beginning the walk back to his house. On the way back he froze, wondering if he had just been asked out. He shook it off as him being paranoid, and even if she had, he didn't know if he felt anything other than friendship towards her. That might change, but part of him still couldn't let go of Sakura, even though he knew his chances of being with her were practically nonexistent now. Shaking his head, he returned to walking home.

Naruto sat down on the back doorstep. He had brought down some of the paints and a canvas, and he was going to try to paint his garden. Grabbing a brush, he opened the bottle of green and began to mix his paint.

A while later he brought everything inside, and set the painting off to the side to dry. Looking at the sun, he saw that it was around noon. He should probably head over to the restaurant now. Cleaning up his paints, he put them back where they went in his studio and grabbed his wallet. He still had some money left from the art fair, about 30,000. The rest had gone to new supplies or rent for his house. Humming, he headed down the street.

As he walked into the restaurant, he looked around, trying to spot Ino and her team. Seeing her at a table near the door, he walked over and tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped an inc or two in the air, but relaxed upon seeing him.

"Oh, hi Saisei. This is my team, Asuma-sensei, Shikamaru, and Choji. Sensei, Shikamaru, Choji, this is my friend Saisei."

Naruto smiled. 'Hey. Can I sit with you?" The question was addressed at the man sitting opposite Ino.

Asuma lazily looked up. "Huh? Oh, sure, but you're paying for your food."

Ino smiled. Scooching over so Naruto could sit down, she accidentally pushed Shikamaru into the wall. He grumbled something, but went back to eating.

Asuma leaned forward. "So, Saisei, how did you two meet?"

Naruto leaned back. "Well, it started when…"

An hour and a full belly later, Naruto left the restaurant, waving to Ino as he left. He was pretty sure that Asuma had recognized him, but he hadn't said anything. It wouldn't surprise him if Shikamaru knew who he was, and Choji didn't seem to notice anything. Naruto walked down towards Haru's, putting his suspicions behind him.

Opening the door, he blinked at what he saw. "Huh?" It was not Haru sitting at the desk, but a girl, maybe a year or two older than him. She had amber eyes and brown hair, which was held back by a thin black headband. She was wearing a short black kimono, which had dark silver edging and a silver obi. A dark grey pair of leggings and black geta, along with a darker silver haori, consisted of the rest of her outfit. She looked up as he came in, and a spark of recognition flashed through her eyes.

She looked him over. "Ah, you're Saisei, aren't you? My father is out of town due to a family issue, so I'm filling in for him right now. My name is Kurohana Shizuka. Haru's my father."

Naruto blinked. He had just realized that he had not known Haru's last name. "Well, hi Shizuka. As you probably know, my name is Saisei. I've been helping your father organize the paperwork for the last few weeks."

She nodded. "I know. Nothing will change in my father's absence. There isn't any extra work, and the only difference is who is behind the desk. Understood?"

Naruto gulped. Shizuka was very different from her father. While Haru was genial and easygoing, Shizuka was business oriented and professional. "Well, I hope we get along!' He smiled, trying to break the ice.

Shizuka turned back to her work. Naruto picked up the stack of finished work and began sorting it.

The silence was not broken for the entire time Naruto was there. When he was done, he simply stood up, waved goodbye, and left. He sighed. Shizuka was a little too similar to asshole Sasuke for his tastes. He hoped she wasn't always like that. Shrugging it off, he walked home.

Collapsing on his couch, he grabbed another book off the table. He had bought it because the main character reminded him a lot of himself. Heck, they even had the same name! Flipping to the bookmark, he lay down and bean to read. A while later he got up and made a bowl of ramen, using what skills he had so far. The broth and the noodles were fine, but the egg and pork always turned out a little off. Ah, well. It still tasted good. He could only get better.

Cleaning up the mess he made, he put the leftover ramen in the fridge. He could never waste ramen. Wasn't that like, blasphemy? Since it still wasn't that late, he went up to his studio and started painting. He was in the mood for a splash painting. For this one, he used yellows, grays, black, and white. Overall, it looked like some dark storm cloud, filled with lightning.

At one point he saw Sasuke come back, still with a crutch, but otherwise fine. He hoped that they had actually let him out, and that he hadn't escaped. He wouldn't put it past him. Seeing a ninja flash down the street and grab a protesting Sasuke,his suspicions were confirmed. That would be something to tease him about. Heading to his room, he collapsed on the bed before laughing his ass off. "The mighty Uchiha… confined to a bed by an angry nurse. Maybe they'll put him in my old room." Naruto's old room was practically impossible to escape. It had no windows, a metal door, and the lock could only be unlocked by one of the approved nurses' chakra signature. They made it that way by repurposing an old confinement cell meant for those who would be sent to the asylum. It was useful for keeping Naruto in, and the villagers out. He still had yet to find a way to escape that thing. Even he, with his stealth skills, was unable to make it out. And come on, you had to admit he had great stealth skills. He was hiding from jounin and chunin, and occasionally an ANBU guard, before he had lost all chances of becoming a ninja. Except for Iruka, he could never hide from him. Fully relaxing, he burrowed under the covers and fell asleep.

* * *

Hey! Setsuna Eien here! I hope no one's too bothered by my update schedule, but I'm balancing this, school, and beta-ing two stories. That's the main reason I won't do anything on Sundays. Well, I hope you like this, and please vote for the pairing!

Setsuna Eien


	11. Lost Feelings and the Godfather Arrives

Hi! Welcome back. I'm so sorry this is late. There's an explanation for the more erratic writing on my author page. Remember, this is the last chapter you can vote on pairings for. Next chapter will have the results. The current stats are:

Karin: 13

Hinata: 10

OC: 3

Tayuya: 7

Ino: 7

Just as a note, if something somehow ties, I will make a seperate vote on who will win. However, I don't think that anyone will really beat Karin at this point.

On with the chapter!

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

"So, how ya doing Sasuke? It was pretty hilarious when you tried to escape a few days ago."

Sasuke turned to the side, grunting. It had been two days since the escape attempt, and Sasuke was out of the hospital for real now. He was still wincing if he overexerted himself, but for the most part he was in top health. The two were seated in Naruto's living room, with Naruto eating some instant ramen and Sasuke eating one of the tomatoes Naruto now kept in a bowl on the table. Nothing much had happened in the past few days, apart from rumors that Konoha would be hosting the chunin exams this year. Unsurprisingly, he had heard that from Ino.

"Hn. I'm fine."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Still not much of a talker, that's for sure. But really, I know the basics, but what happened on that mission?"

"It was supposed to be a C-rank. Nothing hard. But the client lied about the difficulty. A short while in, we were attacked by 2 missing-nin hidden in a puddle. Sakura, my teammate, froze up, while Kiba, my other teammate, protected the client. Our sensei was the only one able to fight them, and one of them went after me. The spiked chain they were using hit my head, and scraped across my chest. The poison nearly killed me. Sensei sent my teammates back with me to keep me alive, if he hadn't I'd probably be dead. As far as I know, he called in backup and is still on the mission, which was bumped up to an A-rank."

Naruto whistled. "Well geez, that sucks. Glad I wasn't you. By the way, there are rumors that the next chunin exams are being held here. Any chance you'll-"

"No." Sasuke interrupted. "My team is new, and we have no experience. As much as I hate to admit it, if we were entered in, we'd be killed."

"Oh."

The rest of the meal was spent in slightly awkward silence, and eventually Sasuke had to leave for his team's training. Looking at his cabinets, Naruto realized he was low on food. What he had wouldn't last him a week. Making note of what he needed, he made a shopping list and went down to the store.

He had grabbed almost everything he needed, and was about to leave, when he bumped into someone by the door.

"Oh! I'm sorry! Here, let me help."

Bending down, Naruto found himself staring into the face of a very familiar girl with long pink hair and green eyes. Blinking in shock, he stood there as the girl introduced herself.

"I'm Sakura by the way. Sorry about bumping into you. I'm in a hurry and I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings. I feel like I've seen you before. Oh yeah! I think I saw you at Ino-pig's shop one day when I was on my way to a training exercise. Actually, that's the reason I'm in a rush. I'm late to my team's meeting! Well, goodbye!"

Blinking at the rapid speech, Naruto picked up his basket and left the store. That was the first time he had seen Sakura in over a month. Why hadn't he been fawning over her? He still loved her… right? Growing more and more confused, he tried to figure out what was wong. Well, he had recently admitted that he had almost no chance with her… but he had still liked her. Right? Wait, why had he liked her in the first place? Looking back, he came to the very beginning of the academy days. He had been down, and she had said something nice to him. He couldn't even remember what it was. She had only done it once, and had been cold to him after that. But… it was one of the first times outside of the Hokage that someone had been nice to him. He had promised that he would see her do it again. That was when he started chasing her. But the more he tried, the less she responded. Then Sasuke came along, and he tried even harder. But still, no result. So… his love was just an ambition to see someone else like him back? He _didn't_ love her? Oh god. The last six years of his life were for a representation of his goal, not love.

Stumbling through the door to his house, he collapsed on the couch and lay there in a daze. The idea was so _wrong,_ yet it filled in so many gaps, felt like the missing puzzle piece. Moving on autopilot, he put away the groceries and went back to the couch, sitting down. He tried to make sense of everything, yet nothing did make sense. He was barely awake at this point, and finally overloading, he passed out on the couch.

When he woke up the next day, he still was in a daze. Everything was hazy, and he went through his routine without any real emotion. Luckily it was his weekend, so he didn't have to go to Haru's, and he didn't think he would have been an effective worker, even if he did. The next two days were like this, with the fog slowly lessening. In the future, he would look back with both sympathy for his former self, and gratitude for getting over his crush. He didn't want to know where he would be if that had continued. Shaking his head, Future-Naruto smiled and let the story resume.

So anyway, yeah, still confused.

On the third day after the Sakura Incident, Naruto finally left his house. There was another festival that day, and he needed the money. Packing up the painting he was bringing, he headed to the market to set up.

Half an hour later, Naruto was once again reclining on his chair. People had just started to arrive, and he was excited.

Internally, he smiled. "_Bring it on."_

Yet another four hours later, he was cleaning up his stall. It had been a little less busy today, as it was not an art focused festival this time, but he had still sold six paintings. They went roughly for the same prices as they did the last time, and he would be set for another month or two. Stretching, he bent over and picked up the box of paintings. Loading them onto the stall table, he grabbed the handle on the thing and started rolling it down the street towards Haru's.

When he finally got home, he collapsed on the couch. He hoped the old man could visit soon. It had been a while since he saw him.

Meanwhile, at the Hokage's office…

Hiruzen was sweating bullets. "Why… hello, Jiraiya. How are you?"

Jiraiya was fuming. "Cut the crap Sensei. Where is my godson?"

Hiruzen sighed. "He's perfectly safe and fine. As the note I sent told you… well, the council wasn't too keen on letting Naruto become a ninja. He's currently living alone in an otherwise empty house near the Uchiha compound. He did a very good job at hiding himself, and I believe he's currently aiming to become an artist full time. I've seen some of his work, and it is quite good."

"Those idiots on the council are going to be shredded meat by the time I'm done with them. Are you sure he's safe?"

He nodded again. "Yes, as far as I know, only Iruka, his academy teacher, and myself know of him. Though frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if Danzo knew where he was."

"When can I see him?"

Hiruzen thought for a second. "Probably not that soon, what with the exams coming up. The month before the final exam portion is probably best. In the meantime… Well, you're not the only one upset with the council."

Jiraiya snorted. "Upset doesn't even cover it." A gleam entered his eyes. "What do you have in mind?"

Hiruzen smirked. "Well, for one, I know some of the merchants on the council have some… well, let's just say that not only their business would be affected by what I know."

Jiraiya leaned forward. "Oh, do tell?"

Once more, the council was ignorant of what was to come.

Back in his house, Naruto hummed, putting his ramen on the stove.

* * *

Well, once again, I'm sorry this is late. The reason for that can be found on my author page.

So, Next chapter, the pairings will be set! THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO VOTE FOR THEM!

Hope you enjoyed, and please review!


	12. A Waterfall of Friendship

Hi!

*POLL ANNOUNCEMENT*  
What kind of oneshot would you want to see, from the fandoms listed on my account?(Excluding Hetalia)  
*END ANNOUNCEMENT*

So, the results for the poll are in! The rankings are…

Karin: 16

Hinata: 13

Ino: 9

Tayuya: 8

OC: 3

So… Karin wins, Hinata in second. They will meet in the next chapter, as I'm actually writing this before Friday. What? I can't pop out around 2,000 words in a day. I nearly burned myself out at the beginning because of that. That's also why the dialogue is better.

* * *

And also to the guest who tends to leave a review pointing out plot holes on every chapter, I get it, but this is my first full length story. When you phrase things like that, it actually really can discourage me. It's fine to point out something, but you don't have to be so critical and dramatic. I would prefer if you just pointed out the holes and suggested something to fill them in. Also, is your caps lock key broken yet?

Apart from that, thanks for the support and reviews. They mean a lot, and actually looking at the viewer stats is interesting. They let you see the total views, and generally the country where readers are from. It's really cool.

Hope you enjoy!

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Naruto sighed, setting his bag of paints and brushes down on the rock ledge. He had been looking for something to paint for a while, wandering around the woods on top of the Hokage Monument.

He had finally come across a beautiful clearing, looking picturesque with the small waterfall and rocky clear pool being illuminated by the sun. the trees were lush and green, and flowers bloomed everywhere. It looked like something out of a fairytale. It was in a shallow ravine, possibly a long abandoned mine.

He was sitting on top of the edge of the rocky ledge, around ten feet above the clearing itself. Pulling out the canvas he brought, he set it on the small easel he had brought. Rummaging through his paints, he found the colors he was looking for. Grey for the rock walls, with all shades of blue and green. White and reds and oranges and yellows for the flowers and reflections. Brown for the trees, and a special silvery white paint that he had found in the back of the shop he bought from. The color was common enough, but it was the type of paint that was special. It was clear before it was mixed fully, and once it was complete, the makers would add some form of metal dust to the mixture. Despite others' efforts, no one had ever managed to reproduce it. It was perfect for the sun on the water, and the glint in the waterfall. Pulling out a pencil, he began sketching it on the canvas before using paint. That way, he could fix any mistakes he made.

Half an hour later, he was just starting to paint. He had been picking up the green paint to start on the grass when he heard something behind him. Turning around, he saw a young girl, maybe his age, with light brown hair held back by a yellow hairclip and hazel eyes. She had very pale skin and was wearing a pink kimono with brown sandals. She was also carrying a bag of paint and a canvas under her arm. She blinked, surprised to see him.

"Oh. Hello. What are you doing out here?"

Naruto smiled and gestured to his painting. "Well, I think it's pretty clear that you were going to do something similar."

She smiled back shyly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bother you."

Naruto waved to the empty space next to him on the grass. "It's fine if you stay. By the way, I'm Saisei. Who are you?"

The girl blushed, embarrassed at forgetting to introduce herself. "Oh, sorry. I'm Yakumo. Do you mind if I'm painting as well?"

He grinned. "No, it's fine! It can get a little lonely out here."

Yakumo nodded in thanks before sitting down beside him. She pulled a smaller canvas out of her bag, followed by a set of clearly expensive watercolors and brushes. The two sat in comfortable silence for a while, content on just painting.

"So, Saisei, why are you out here? Surely there are other spots to paint nearer to the village. The only reason I'm out this far is because my clan compound is nearby."

Naruto set down his brush. "Well, I actually paint for a living, with a small side job till I can pay off my house's cost. I also just felt like exploring."

Yakumo smiled. "I would like to see the village again someday. I don't leave the house very often, so I don't see anything lively like that." After saying that, she flinched, drawing into herself slightly.

Naruto frowned. "What's wrong? Are you ok?"

She got over it quickly, shaking her head. "No. I'm fine. It's just… I have some bad memories about when I was younger."

Naruto tilted his head, saying, "I have a rough past too. I'm an orphan, and up until a few months ago, I hoped to become a ninja. Unfortunately, some… things prevented that. You can talk about it if you want."

Yakumo sighed. "Actually, it's similar for me. I've always been frail, but I was training as a Genjutsu specialist. But one of my… problems forced my sensei to seal my chakra. The only way that I can use my clan's bloodline now is through my paintings. My bloodline is rare, even in my clan. It gives us such a strong ability for Genjutsu, that whatever is affected can sometimes literally bring the illusion into reality. Imaginary wounds become real, lightning strikes where it is directed. It also has drawbacks that I will not speak of. It was them that led me to be pushed away from the path of a shinobi."

Naruto frowned. "Why did that lead to you being unable to be a shinobi? With enough training, surely you could have become a ninja?"

Yakumo looked away. "It's not that simple."

His face fell. "Ok. Well, if you wanted, I could maybe bring you to the village one day? There's another festival being held soon, and I'll be selling my art there. Maybe you could come along and help at my stall? If you want, you could even bring some of your own art too."

Her face brightened. "I would like that very much. When is it? I could meet you here."

Naruto smiled at her. "It's in twelve days. You have to get there early to get a good spot, so you should probably get here around five. If you were allowed, I wouldn't have any problems with you staying in the guest room at my house for that night. Then you wouldn't have to get up so early."

She thought for a moment. "I should be available. It's not like I really do anything else besides paint. I'll see you then."

Picking up her bag and the still wet canvas, she waved to Naruto before leaving the clearing. Unknown to either, this was the beginning of a very strong friendship.

Another hour later, Naruto packed up his supplies and left. The painting was amazing, and he was quite pleased with his work. He smiled, thinking of the girl he had just met. She was very nice, a bit shy and introverted, but she would be a good friend. Starting the trek home, he looked forward to seeing her again.

Sometimes, he wondered what would have happened if he had become a ninja. Would he still have his crush on Sakura? Would he ever be Sasuke's friend? Would he have even met Haru or his daughter? He wanted to say he would have, but the circumstances would have been so different that their relationships would never be the same. In the end, he didn't know. But his path was set, and he would just have to move forward with a bright smile and a confident stride.

_/With… well, you'll see./_

"Why are we doing this? We're not ready, we've only been a team for a year. I haven't been on any real missions, so why are we going to the chunin exams?"

The older boy pulling the girl's arm grunted, unconcerned with her distress. The girl herself was around 13, with red hair and eyes. She wore a pair of red glasses, and a Kusa Hitai-ate. Her teammates paid no attention to her, only continuing the walk towards Konoha, where the next chunin exams were being held. She was fed up with her village, and ready to leave at the first offer. They all treated her like dirt, or a tool to be used then thrown away. But she had not been able to escape yet, though she fully intended to before they killed her like they had her mother. In the meantime, all she could do was wait, and plan what to do to survive.

_/Yeah… you know who that was./_

* * *

Thanks to the reviewer who pointed out some of the things in this chapter, like how Yakumo and Naruto would get along quite well anyway. And to answer their question about how Karin will make it through the exams… well, Naruto's absence is making a ripple. I feel like it was partially due to Kakashi entering team seven that the other rookies joined the exams. And remember what Naruto did in the first exam. That will have a big change. Also, if you want any other pairings to be in here, feel free to suggest. Well, anything except for massive age differences and SasuSaku. Just not the biggest fan of it.

I hope you enjoyed this, and please review!

Setsuna Eien


	13. Inside His Head

Hi! So… the pairing was decided as NaruKarin last chapter, and the chunin exams start this chapter. Also, the guest reviewer I talked about last chapter, PLEASE, stop. Those reviews really are pretty poisonous. They seriously discourage me. Also, why are you still reading if you're so angry with plot holes? I'm almost 14, and this is written in my free time. And honestly, it would make my life much easier if I stopped writing. But I like doing it, and I don't want to stop. So please, stop with the reviews. You may just be trying to help, or you may purposefully be trying to hurt me, but if you keep doing it I'm just going to remove them.

Sorry this is late, my school has exams right now.

I do not own Naruto.

Also, smaller Kurama's speech will be done normally.

* * *

Naruto walked down the street. The whispers surrounding him had been gaining intensity for a while.

"Did you hear? The next chunin exams are being held here!"

"I know! I'm totally going!"

Naruto shuddered. He definitely wasn't up to going to them. He may have settled down, but he was afraid he would start doubting himself again if he were to see what he might have been doing in a different life.

He had been out buying a smaller bed, which he had overlooked before, in case of guests. And since Yakumo was coming over tomorrow, he couldn't not have a place for her to stay. The second bed was plain dark wood, with cream sheets and pillows. There was also a small cabinet for visitors' clothes.

After getting everything set up, he went out to Ichiraku's. It had been a while, and he needed his ramen. Sitting down at the counter, he ordered an extra large bowl of pork ramen. He started drooling as he smelled the delicious odor of the ramen wafting out of the back. As his bowl was set in front of him, he tore into it with a voracity to match a wolf's.

Setting the empty bowl on the counter, he paid and left. When he got home, he realized that he had nothing to do. Everything was set up for Yakumo, and he didn't feel like painting. Snapping his fingers, he realized he hadn't talked to Kurama for a while. The fox may be grumpy, but he was good enough company. Concentrating, he felt around inside himself for the pull he had felt around his navel the last time he had been pulled in his mindscape.

_*In Naruto's mindscape*_

Naruto sat up from the floor, automatically brushing off the worst of the water. Walking down the hall, he came to a halt in front of Kurama's cage.

As he approached, a slit red eye opened. "**What is it Naruto?"**

Naruto pouted. "What, do I need an excuse to visit my favorite overgrown fox?"

Kurama rolled his eyes. "**What other biju do you know?"**

Naruto shrugged. "Fair enough."

"**Really, why are you here?"**

"Because I'm bored and have literally nothing else to do. Anything you wanna do?"

Kurama thought for a moment. "**It would be pleasant if I was not lying in a puddle of sewer water.**"

Naruto frowned. "Is there anything I can do about that? It's rather bleak knowing my mind is literally a sewer."

Kurama turned to stare at him "**Brat, this is literally your mind. You can change the appearance to anything you want. Did you not wonder why you appeared as you are and not as you used to look? You consider this as your appearance, so your mind automatically changes your mental image. You could literally change this whole thing into a floating palace if you wanted. However, you would need knowledge, or at least a general image of, what you want to be here."**

Naruto aahed. "So…"

As he concentrated, the water on the ground gradually pooled in one corner, and a waterfall tumbled down into it. The walls themselves were replaced by a set of cliff faces, with green grass and flowers growing where the water once was. Trees sprouted around the edge, blocking the edge of the image from view. A bright sky appeared above the duo, and the cage shrank into a set of manacles connected to the cliff face. The sewer had been transformed into an exaggerated image of the clearing he had met Yakumo in.

Kurama hummed in approval. "**It would be even better if there were no chains, but that would disrupt the seal. Overall, quite nice kid. Any chance you could add some animals? Or maybe…"**

As Naruto watched, Kurama shrank, growing smaller and smaller. He stopped when he was around the size of a horse, giving him much more room to move.

Kurama stretched out on the grass, curling up and basking in the imaginary sunlight.

Naruto was confused. "How can you change anything?"

Kurama rolled his eyes. "This may be your mindscape, but I can control my own image."

He nodded. "Oh. That makes sense. Oh! Also, that reminds me. Is there any way to project memories? I just want to really see what happened to my parents…"

Kurama nodded. "Yes, there is. To show a memory, you have to…"

Half an hour later Naruto was crouched in front of the pool crying into his arm as the image of a man with blond hair and a woman with red hair faded from its surface. He had been able to see the events following his birth, from a masked man stealing his infant self to seeing the controlled Kurama spearing his parents on his claw. He had heard his parents' final words to him, and his father's dying wish that he would be respected as a hero.

"So much for that." He muttered, wiping a stray tear off his face. "Thanks for showing this to me Kurama. I know you were under the control of whoever that was, and that you were angry 'cause of how long you were imprisoned. If its worth anything, I don't blame anything on you. You were just angry about everything, and you wanted to be free."

Kurama shook his head. "It takes much to forgive someone who you feel took something precious away from you, especially for you ningen. Most would lash out at anyone involved in something as major as the deaths of your parents. I would still like freedom from the seal one day, but I know that you do not trust me enough to release me. And you shouldn't. Who is to say I would not stab you in the back as soon as I am freed? I _am_ a Kitsune, after all.

Naruto smiled. "I trust you, but I don't know how you would be outside the seal. Is there any way to partially release it?"

Kurama nodded. "You can partially open it. That function was originally so you could battle me for control of my chakra, but I doubt you could take me on."

He thought about it. "What would happen if I did that?"

Kurama looked shocked. "You would be willing to do that? You are far too trusting."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. I've always been a good judge of character, and I can tell you're not lying. And you're stuck inside me, so we have to get along. How do you open the seal?"

Kurama pointed towards the cliff where the manacles were attached. In between the chains was a large metal plate, with a piece of paper with the kanji for seal on it. "You would tear off part of that. The more you remove, the greater access to my chakra you would have. It would also give me access to your senses.

Naruto nodded and gave him a thumbs up. Walking over to the seal, he prepared to rip off the corner of the paper, about a fifteenth of the seal. But just before he could grab the paper, a hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. Jolting, he looked to his side to see two people. Eyes widening, tears trickled down his cheeks at the sight of the duo. The person who had grabbed his arm was a man in his twenties, with startling blue eyes and golden blond spiky hair. The other person was a woman of the same age, with long red hair and purple-gray eyes.

"M-mom? D-dad? How are you here? I thought you were dead?"

The man took a moment to study his surroundings before smiling at Naruto. "We are. Before we died, we both sealed the last of our chakra, set to come out if you were to release the seal. Speaking of that, why are you releasing it?"

Naruto ran towards the two and hugged them both. Looking up, he said, "I wasn't releasing all of it, just enough to let Kurama have access to my senses."

Kushina frowned. "Kurama?"

Naruto nodded. "The nine tails."

"It has a name?"

"_He_ has a name."

Minato turned towards the smaller Kurama, suspicious. "What are you trying now?"

Naruto stepped in between them. "He hasn't done anything. Actually, he let me see my memories of you and told me about you. I didn't know who you were until he told me. Everyone had just told me I was some clanless orphan whose parents didn't care enough to stay."

Minato sent Kurama a wary look, but focused on Naruto again. "Why were you trying to open the seal this young? Your training as a jinchuriki shouldn't have started for another few years."

Naruto looked down. "About that…"

Five minutes later, Minato was scowling at what the villagers had done, from ignoring and refusing to serve Naruto to disrespecting his last wish. Kushina, however, was seething. "How dare they do that to my baby! I wish I could give them a piece of my mind."

Minato held her back, hugging her. "Naruto, we don't have forever here. Our chakra will only last another five minutes or so before we disappear. There's so much we ant to tell you…"

Naruto brightened. "Can I just keep you here with my chakra?"

Minato shook his head. "No, your chakra is similar to ours, but it is still too different to keep us here."

Naruto's face fell. "Oh…"

Kushina smiled. "But we should still have enough to fill some small object with it. We wouldn't be here as long, but you would be able to feel our chakra in whatever object you choose."

Naruto was conflicted. He could talk more, or keep a memento of his parents forever. Making his choice, he said, "I'll do it. How does it work?"

Kushina grinned. "So first, create whatever object it is that you will keep it in. or use something like a tree or a rock."

Naruto thought about it. "Would the waterfall work?"

She nodded. "Yeah. After that, you need to feel the chakra that makes up the waterfall and connect it to our own. We'll disappear, but you should feel us inside the water."

Naruto concentrated. Reaching out, he felt the chakra that made up the artificial landscape. Expanding his senses, he felt towards the waterfall. A moment later, he came in contact with a rush of fast moving chakra. Inwardly grinning in triumph, he grabbed it. Reaching out again, he felt the dwindling chakra that made up his parents. Grabbing it as well, he pulled the three energies together, melding them into one. When he opened his eyes, his parents were gone. Hoping that it had worked, he reached out to the waterfall. Searching the chakra, he felt the faint but steady pulse of their energy running through the water. Smiling, he reached towards the physical water, feeling the cold race down his hand. He felt the energy caressing his hand, whispering safety and comfort. Shocked, he listened again. Tears leaked down his cheeks as he heard the faint voices of his parents whispering in the water. He couldn't make out any words, but he felt the warmth and happiness and pride in the murmurs. Kurama watched from the side, respecting the moment the boy was having.

Naruto stayed there, sitting on a rock he formed beneath the edge of the water. The water crashed around him, yet it did not hit him. It seamlessly parted around him, just brushing his face and arms. He spent the rest of his day there, surrounded by the whispers of his parents. He didn't even notice as his mindscape mimicked the outside world, a night sky forming above him. He only woke from his trance like state the next morning, waking up on his couch. Scrambling around, he tore upstairs to change into fresh clothes and take a bath. Coming back down half an hour later, he felt in the back of his mind for the still-present whispers, smiling. He made a breakfast for two before putting it in the fridge for after he picked up Yakumo. Locking the door, he headed to the real life version of the clearing that his mindscape took the image of.

* * *

Arg! I'm so sorry this is late. As mentioned above, my school is wrapping up exams. I hope you like this, and please review!

Setsuna Eien


	14. Merging Tracks

Hi! Sorry this is so late. I had a slump that I'm coming out of where it felt like my muse dumped me, hid all the story ideas, and burned my proverbial house down. Also, I'm graduating from middle school this year, and my teacher, who has worked at my school for like 20 years, is retiring, so she kinda spoils us. My class spent the last 3 days in Washington D.C, and we went ziplining before that. So, I finally removed that guest's comments. The last one was about how Naruto should have seen his parents for longer. But remember, even in the anime his parents were there for only around an episode. Also, think about it. The way they were there was kinda similar to a shadow clone. Chakra construct with a separate mind. And knowing most jounin have trouble with shadow clones, it must take a hell of a lot of chakra to sustain something like that. And even though both of them had a lot of chakra, I can't see the imprints staying around for that long. And with some of their chakra being tied to the waterfall, they would have even less time. At least that's my theory.

Also, thank you to Adriana for being such a constant reviewer! It means a lot and it helped jumpstart my creativity to write some more of this! So a shoutout for you!

Another thing, if Sasuke were to be in a pairing, which of these two would you want it to be?

Hinata

Yakumo

Sorry there's no Sakura, but I've just never been able to see that pairing work. And without Naruto there, I can't see her getting over her fangirlishness as easily.

Hope you enjoy this!

I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Naruto stood on the rock in front of the waterfall, waiting for Yakumo to arrive. The festival was tomorrow, and he was looking forward to showing off his art to his friend. Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned around to see Yakumo walking towards him, holding a bag filled with art and another bag of clothes. Waving, he ran over to her and smiled. "Hey! Ya ready to head to my house?"

She smiled back. "Yes, I am. I'm really looking forward to the festival tomorrow. I've never been to one before."

Naruto gasped. "Really? Then I'll have to show you everything! All the stalls, and food, and games… They're so fun!"

She smiled again. "Then I guess you'll need to show me."

He nodded. "Yeah! But for now, Let's just head to my house."

"Lead the way."

He grinned and began to pull her down the path.

Twenty minutes later, Naruto set her down on the couch in his living room. She had begun to get tired around halfway there,so he had piggybacked her the rest of the way.

She smiled weakly. "Thanks for that. Sometimes I don't know when my weakness will pop up. It's one of the main reasons I can't be a ninja. If that were to happen on the field…"

He nodded. "Well, if you're hungry, I have some leftover udon in the fridge, or I could just make some instant ramen."

She thought about it for a second. "I'll just have the udon. I've never been a fan of instant food of any kind. I prefer to have the actual thing, whether it's made in a restaurant or by me."

He went off into the kitchen to put the ramen in the microwave and the udon on the stove. When he returned to the living room with the food, he sat in the chair opposite her and handed her her udon.

Leaning back, he slurped up his ramen. When he was done, he said, "So… your room is upstairs. The bathroom is next to it, and my room is on the left end of the hall. The right end has this awesome view of the yard and is a great place to sit. My art studio is closest to the door on the left. The last room is just for laundry. And that's about it for where stuff is."

Yakumo smiled. Taking a bite of her udon, she asked, "So what are you bringing to the festival?"

Naruto finished his ramen and set it down. "Well, I'm bringing six paintings. Four of them are what I call splash paintings and the other two are landscapes."

Yakumo frowned. "What are splash paintings?"

He grinned. "Ya wanna see them?" At her nod, he pulled her upstairs and showed her all of the paintings he currently had. While they were upstairs, she quickly put her bags in her room. They carried the paintings down to the couch and just spent some time looking at each other's work. Several hours later, they had a quick dinner and retired for the night.

* * *

Earlier that night…

* * *

Karin scowled. Her team was staying in a hotel near where she was, but of course she didn't want to be there. So she was currently sitting on the roof of a neighboring building, waiting for someone to notice her absence and drag her back. In the meantime, she was just wandering from spot to spot in the village. She frowned. If she went back now, she could probably escape again the next day. But she could really use the alone time… She sighed, defeated. She would just sneak out again tomorrow. She had heard something about an art fair. Maybe she would check that out…

* * *

I'm sooo sorry this is so short. I just have the writer's block from hell right now. I'll post whenever I can, but it probably still won't be that frequent. Nowhere near as bad as this chapter though… If you're still reading, I hope youe enjoyed this excuse for a chapter, and please review with any ideas. I really could use them.


	15. The Art Fair and First Impressions

Oh god, I'm sorry about the lack of updates. The damn writer's block is still there. It also didn't help that I got sucked into the Hetalia fandom and wow, that fandom really is like a pit. That guest reviewer also doesn't help. They seriously need to just stop. I'm really sorry, but if they don't stop, I'm going to turn off guest reviews. I don't want to, but I'm starting to really lose interest in writing because of them.

SasuHina: 1

SasuYaku:2

I do not own Naruto.

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Karin wandered through the bustling streets of early morning Konoha. She had successfully slipped away from her teammates, and was now exploring the art festival. The stalls set up varied wildly, from sculptures made of glass, wood and clay, to paintings and jewelry. She lazily gazed from side to side, slowing and looking at whatever caught her fancy. She walked for about an hour, no real destination in mind. She sometimes stopped and talked to someone, but for the most part she stayed on the move. The longer she stayed still, the more likely she would be found.

The first stall that caught her fancy was a jewelry stall. It mostly sold wire bracelets and necklaces, set with various polished rocks as opposed to gemstones. She toyed with the idea of buying one of the pendants, but dismissed as they were more than she was willing to spend.

The second stall sold landscape paintings. They were painted using homemade paint, and were just interesting to look at. She hadn't seen much outside of her village, so she was mostly interested in the ones of misty forests, mountains, and deserts. She didn't spend much time there.

The third sold abstract paintings combined with watercolor and landscapes. The two kids sitting behind the desk looked to be about her age, and were idly talking and watching the crowd. They straightened up as she approached them, looking towards her and smiling. Stopping in front of them, she asked if they were the artists, or if they were just watching the stall for someone.

The boy, who had purple shoulder length hair and darker violet eyes, grinning as he introduced himself. "Hey! I'm Murasakiiro Saisei, and yeah, we're the artists."

The girl waved and introduced herself as well. "Kurama Yakumo, I'm the one who painted the watercolors." She had pale brown hair and darker hazel eyes.

Karin smiled back, idly noting the strange aura the boy had. As it didn't seem particularly hostile, she ignored it. "Uzumaki Karin, nice to meet you. And wow, it's really impressive that you can paint this well. You don't look much older than me."

She thought she saw a small jolt go through Saisei, but brushed it off. He smiled, slightly brighter, and started showing her some of the art. "Most of my stuff is more abstract, so I haven't named them or anything since everyone sees them differently."

She nodded, studying a painting consisting mostly of grays, purples, and some brown. From one angle, it looked vaguely like some alien plant, but from another it looked like a cloudy mountain range. There was another that vaguely reminded her of stars or lightning, and a watercolor painting of a strange flying boat.

She idly chatted with the two for a while, finally deciding that she should probably head back to her team or risk punishment.

As she was walking away, she did a double-take. She knew she had felt that strange aura he had before! Part of it felt like a second being entirely, and that partially covered what was an already well-hidden beacon of light. Aside from the insane amount of chakra he had, the edge she had felt was remarkably familiar to her own, and from what she remembered, her mother. That meant one of two things: either he was a relative through her father's side, which was unlikely, because she was told he was an only child, or he was a relative through her mother and the Uzumaki clan. Seeing as she knew her mother had the same edge, it was most likely he was a relative!

She had thought that the Uzumakis had been mostly killed off a long time ago, but maybe some had survived! She could have more family for all she knew!

A definite spring in her step, she ran back to the hotel, resolving to find Saisei again later.


	16. NOTICE

I am sorry its been... what? At least 8 months since I last wrote? I literally have rarely had a day go by where I din't think about this story in some way, and the only reason I haven't written again is because of one simple fact:

I'm drawing a complete blank on how the chunin exams should be handled. Should Naruto befriend Gaara? Should some difference in experiences lead to someone else discovering and alerting the hokage to the invasion? I've backed myself into a corner with this. And as such, I am asking: if any of you have an idea for how I can handle this, even just suggestions for scenes I can write in the meantime as I figure out what I'm gonna do here, please just leave them in a review.

I still have no intentions of abandoning this, if you couldn't tell. And if worst comes to worst, and I really can't find a way to resolve this, I will at the very least write an epilogue or short event summary of what I planned to do.

So just know, this is not abandoned, and no matter if it takes months, weeks, even a year, I want to keep writing this.

And to guest user Adriana, thank you. Knowing someone is still hoping for this story is really helping to keep me going :)

Setsuna Eien


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